Fine Motor Milestones for Children 5 Years Old

Fine Motor Skills: Preschool Readiness, Fantastic at Age 5

July 30, 2018Tri-County Therapy Blog age 5 buttons cutting fine motor grasp handwriting lacing occupational therapy pediatric therapy physical therapy sensory processing snaps speech therapy tracing

At five years of age, your child is either in or getting ready to enter kindergarten and there is a whole new set of skills your child will develop and refine. Here’s what to expect for your fantastic five year old!

Fantastic at 5:

Scissor Skills: At five, your child should be able to cut both angled and curved lines with good accuracy. He should be able to maneuver scissors around pictures (after demonstration) that are at least 6” in length and width and whose outlines are no more than ¼” wide. One great way to practice this skill is to have your child cut out a dot-to-dot number worksheet, as this also helps to develop visual scanning by following not only the line, but the numbers as well!

Pre-Writing/Pencil Skills: By kindergarten, your child will be using a dynamic tripod/quadrupod type grasp. This is the most mature grasp where the fingertips are used for control of the pencil versus a more immature/rudimentary grasp. Pencil movement is powered by the fingers, while the wrist and forearm remain still in order to stabilize the hand. You’ll find that your child can now write his name and form most numbers, however reversals are common.

Eye-Hand Coordination: He should be able to draw a person with at least 6 parts and catch a tennis ball tossed to him. Interlocking puzzles, find-the-number worksheets, catching/throwing, obstacle courses, and mazes are all excellent for eye-hand coordination!

Daily Living Skills: By this age, your child should be able to open all fasteners on any article of clothing and engage/pull up a zipper while wearing clothing. He should be taking an interest in tying his shoes and showering independently. He should be able to wash dishes and use the microwave with supervision.

Written by: Rachel Merrick

Lead Occupational Therapist

Tri-County Therapy

SaveSave

Fine Motor Skills: Preschool Readiness, Fabulous at Age 4

July 23, 2018Tri-County Therapy Blog age 4 buttons cutting fine motor grasp handwriting lacing occupational therapy pediatric therapy physical therapy sensory processing snaps speech therapy tracing

As your child moves closer to kindergarten, her skills will begin to become more refined as her hands and fingers become more advanced and experienced. Let’s check out what to expect for your fabulous four-year old!

Fabulous at 4!

Scissor Skills: Your child is moving along, now she should be able to cut along a thicker curved line with good accuracy, moving now towards cutting out simple shapes (with straight lines, such as a square and triangle, within ½” of the line by about 4.5 years of age). Placing stickers along the lines is a great way to encourage accuracy and make it more fun!

Pre-Writing/Pencil Skills: Now your child’s pre-writing skills are really taking off! He should be able to accurately draw a square and triangle. Your child should be able to color within the lines and fold along a line with good precision. Give your child a fun boundary to color within by outlining a picture with glue (allowing to dry completely) to provide a raised edge!

Eye-Hand Coordination: At this age, your child should be able to draw a person with approximately 4-5 recognizable parts, copy a cross, trace large letters/numbers, and catch a playground ball. Using both hands together continues to improve, getting ready for more advanced skills coming up! Play ‘Simon Says’ type games with your child to see if he can imitate motor actions both with a demonstration and without!

Daily Living Skills: You should notice your child gaining independence with front snaps and medium/small buttons on front-opening clothing. He should be taking interest in making snacks such as a simple sandwich and slicing a banana on his own. The more he does on his own, the more he will want to do!

Written by: Rachel Merrick

Lead Occupational Therapist

Tri-County Therapy

SaveSave

Fine Motor Skills: Preschool Readiness, Fun at Age 3

July 17, 2018Tri-County Therapy Blog age 3 buttons cutting fine motor grasp handwriting lacing occupational therapy pediatric therapy physical therapy sensory processing snaps speech therapy tracing

Developing school-readiness skills can be a lot of fun for most kids, but nerve-wracking for parents! Many of the critical skills needed as your child prepares to move up in pre-school or get ready to begin kindergarten emerge through play. Let’s see what is expected at the age of three and give a few fun ideas to help you and your child have fun while learning and developing these skills!

Fun at Three!

Scissors Skills: At this age, your child should be able to make several consecutive cuts with a forward motion of the scissors while holding the paper with his supporting hand. For fun practice, let your child cut a roll of play dough or a plastic drinking straw into small pieces!

Pre-Writing/Pencil Skills: Around this age, your child will most likely try using a static tripod grasp (thumb, index, and middle fingers securing the pencil) and most of the movement will be primarily generated from the forearm and wrist to start, versus just using the fingers. Have your child draw on an easel or a slanted surface (such as a large three-ring binder) to help improve wrist position and foster more isolated finger movement. Using small pieces of broken crayons or small golf-sized pencils will also encourage use of the fingers!

Eye-Hand Coordination: You may notice your child trying new things, like coping a circle and lines. He should be able to complete a lacing card and trace accurately along a horizontal line. Have your child practice drawing shapes in sand, finger paint, shaving cream, and more!

Written by: Rachel Merrick

Lead Occupational Therapist

Tri-County Therapy

SaveSave