Most people can pick up a pencil and start writing without giving it a second thought. The same thing happens if you’re asked to type up an email–you may not have to think too hard about making your fingers hit the right keys. All of these activities (and more) use something called fine motor skills. By the time you’re an adult, your fine motor skills usually come very easily. But in an infant fine motor skills are just getting started. Often, those skills take years to fully develop.
As a parent, it will be helpful to your infant to keep an eye out for these fine motor skills–and do what you can to encourage them. Helping your infant develop these skills so early in life can give your child a solid springboard for their continued growth. Additionally, solid fine motor skills will help your infant succeed in pre-school and early childhood education settings.
What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Broadly speaking, fine motor skills are defined as the ability to use the muscles in your hands and wrists to accomplish tasks.
In many cases, using your fine motor skills requires a not insignificant amount of precision and steadiness. These movements may seem simple; but in reality, they are deceptively complicated and they require a lot of practice to get right. Of course, this comes as a surprise to most people–but that’s only because all of your practice occurred so early in life that you don’t remember it!
For an infant (children between the ages of 0-1 years old), many of these fine motor skills are just starting to develop. But, later in life, these are skills that will be used to do things such as:
School work (such as writing or even cutting and gluing craft projects).
Using a keyboard (for typing or for video games).
Drawing pictures.
Writing.
Eating.
Brushing your teeth
And more!
This list could continue for quite some time, but hopefully it illustrates just how often your child will use their fine motor skills as they grow up. (You never really stop using fine motor skills.)
Benchmarks for Infant Fine Motor Skills
So, now that you know what fine motor skills are, it makes sense to start asking what you should expect of your infant. Clearly, they won’t be writing on paper or typing on a keyboard. So, what should you expect, and when?
For many new parents, the following infant fine motor skills benchmarks can help you observe the progression of your child:
1 month: At the age of one month, your infant should be able to tightly grasp objects that are placed in their hands. (They might do this with your finger, for example.)
3 months: By the age of three months, your infant’s hands should be much more relaxed. They should also be able to reach for objects that they see.
4-5 months: At this point, things really start to take off! Your infant should be able to reach towards objects with both hands simultaneously. They should also be able to grasp objects using both hands and maybe even start banging objects against your table, their high-chair, or a hard object.
6 months: Once your child is about half a year old, they should be able to use what’s called a raking grasp to pick up objects off the floor. Your child should also be able to reach for objects with one hand or the other. And they should be able to shake a rattle.
7 months: At seven months, your infant should be able to move a small object from one hand to the other.
8 months: More changes! At 8 months, your child should be able to point at or poke things with their index finger. They may also be able to hold objects between the pad of their index finger and the pad of their thumb.
9 months: One of the most exciting developments for parents is the introduction of clapping. And at nine months old, your infant should finally be able to start slapping their hands together! Additionally, they will quickly learn how to start banging two objects together. And they should also be able to pick up small objects using a pincer grip of the index finger and thumb (essentially, they should be able to pick up small objects, such as a piece of cereal).
11 months: Now nearly a year old, your child should be able to move objects around. For example, they should be able to place objects into a bucket. In other words, they should be able to voluntarily release an object.
12 months and beyond: Starting at twelve months and moving beyond, you should start to see your infant turn thick pages in a book, use a puzzle board, or even make small marks on a piece of paper. And that’s just the beginning!
It’s important to note that these benchmarks are not set in stone. Yes, we describe these benchmarks with the word “should”--but that’s just to describe what’s typically expected, not necessarily what’s abnormal.
Some children will develop these skills more quickly than others. That’s a normal part of growing up! If your infant is lagging a month or two behind on one benchmark, it’s likely nothing to worry about. However, if your child is continually lagging behind these benchmarks, it might be a good idea to talk to your child’s pediatrician during a newborn care appointment. You can discuss the underlying causes and whether you need to take any action.
Why Your Infant Might be Lagging
If your infant has not hit the benchmarks you’d like them to see, you may have concerns. Parents, however, should not panic. Some children simply develop a little more slowly at this age–and it typically has no bearing on how they develop in the future. Still, there are some reasons why your child may not be hitting benchmarks.
Some of the most common reasons include the following:
Delayed development of visual motor skills: If your baby can’t see what they’re doing, those fine motor skills might not develop as quickly.
Delayed movement planning skills: In some cases, your baby might have trouble with general movement skills.
Delay in sitting or tummy skills: In order to have those hands free to develop fine motor skills, your baby needs to have their hands free! Delays in sitting or tummy skills can also slow down the development of fine motor skills
This list is not exhaustive–and there are cognitive conditions that can impact motor skill development as well. In fact, there are a wide variety of reasons why your infant may have delayed fine motor skill development.
In general, if your infant still hasn’t been able to pick up an object with a thumb and index finger by the age of 10 months or still has trouble holding an object in two hands by 8 months, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your pediatrician.
How to Help Your Infant Develop Fine Motor Skills
Infant fine motor skill development doesn’t happen in a vacuum or automatically. There are things you can do as a parent to help move things along or encourage your infant to practice their skills! In most cases, this means making time to interact with your infant (improving their fine motor skills and your infant-parent bond at the same time).
Some of the most common ways you can help with infant fine motor skill development include the following:
In the early months, spend some time placing objects in their hands. It’s okay if they drop those objects! The point is just to give them a little bit of practice grabbing these objects.
Place your infant on their tummy and make sure lots of toys are around them. (As always, make sure to keep an eye on them as they play.) This will help encourage your infant to grab and play with all kinds of wonderful new toys.
You can play clapping games with your infant (such as pat-a-cake) or play itsy-bitsy-spider. These will help your infant develop those hand and wrist muscles as well as the coordination needed to control them.
Get some Play-Doh and let your child poke all kinds of holes in this fun clay! (As always, watch them to make sure they don’t eat too much of it.)
As always, singing and speaking with your infant will often help these things, too. You can spend some time talking about (or singing about) and touching their fingers to help them get a sense of their hands.
If you need help coming up with at-home activities to help your infant develop their fine motor skills, don’t hesitate to talk to your child’s pediatrician.
Infant Fine Motor Skill Development is Just the Beginning
Your infant will continue to develop fine motor skills for years to come. But, as with anything in life, getting a good start can help make that continued growth easier and establish a healthy foundation.
If you have any concerns at all about your child’s development, it’s always okay to talk to a pediatrician about what’s normal and what your infant may need help with.
Contact us at our Chicago or Northbrook offices to schedule an appointment!