Developing The Right Motor Skills In Your Toddler

Effective parenting is surely an important social liability and is of vital importance to create a socially productive society. And yes, it starts young. An important aspect of parenting lies in making the children develop sound motor skills, so that they can be better, independent people tomorrow. Lets take a small route to understand Motor Skills, and how we, as parents, can inculcate the same in our children

“Motor skill is defined as an ability or capability or function involving the accurate movement of muscles with the objective to perform a certain act. ”While speaking about gross motor skills such as running, leaping, skipping, galloping, hopping jumping, etc., it is seen that no actual encouragement is required. The toddlers react and learn naturally. It is the fine motor skills that require practice such as wrist, finger and hand movements.
It is imperative for your child to develop a sound precision of motor skills in order to have greater and better independence in life ahead.

Here are listed some useful skills that your toddler should master:

• Learning to get properly dressed- it depends on good hand-eye coordination.
• Clapping hands
• Recognizing things by touching and feeling
• Pasting things on paper
• Buttoning and unbuttoning clothes
• Building towers from creative or building blocks
• Completing jigsaw puzzles

Vital Do’s to Inculcate Fine Motor skills in your Toddler:

Being a responsible parent it is your utmost duty to know about the useful ways to encourage fine motor skills in your tiny bundle of joy. Initially your baby might find difficulty in doing things but with proper support care and encouragement, he can learn with ease and finesse.

Allow him to explore things while performing simple tasks such as applying butter on a piece of bread, getting dressed up, etc. He will consume time in the beginning but don’t panic; very soon he will learn how to do it in less time.

Give him opportunities to do work on his own. You can be around with a watchful eye assuring his safety and security. But let your baby do things on his own and this process might take time. So be patient!
Another good way to encourage hand-associated skills in your toddler is to give a variety of materials that can set his imagination on move. Give blocks, magnetic or interlocking ones, crayons, paints, modelling clay, glue, washable non-toxic markers, etc. Children love to play with musical instruments, water toys and puzzles. Provide different types of creative articles and let them be imaginative and innovative.

A Big NO-

An important thing to keep in mind is that you should never force your likes or dislikes on your child. Remember every child is potentially the light of world and every child is unique. Try to know his interest and encourage accordingly.

Do not be disheartened if his progress is slow as compared to others. Some children take a little long in learning fine motor movements. That is perfectly normal. You can consult your child psychiatrist for more elaborate session. Allow your baby to be the way he is. Remember he is unique, special and so are his learning abilities.
Ultimately it is the good amount of care, concern and knowledge that can increase your child’s dexterity and performance skills.

Happy Parenting!