Motor skills are important abilities for every child to have. By practicing these skills, children can learn to do various things, such as standing, sitting, and playing. Not only that, well-trained motor skills can also support children’s growth and development.
Motor skills are the ability to move body parts, such as the head, lips, tongue, hands, feet, and fingers. These movements are not yet very visible when a baby is born, but will slowly begin to form as they grow and develop .
skills are movements that involve small muscles, such as the fingers.
Fine motor skills allow children to perform various activities, such as writing, drawing, and taking food or drinks. Disturbances in these abilities can cause children to experience learning disorders, such as difficulty writing or dysgraphia .
Meanwhile, gross motor skills involve the movement of large muscles such as the legs, arms, and muscles of the body. Gross motor skills enable children to perform various activities, such as sitting , crawling, standing, walking , and holding the position of their head and body.
How to Develop Children’s Motor Skills
Babies generally start learning motor skills at the age of 5–6 months. To optimize your little one’s motor skills, Mom and Dad can stimulate them with the following games:
1. Stacking blocks
A simple game that can train children’s motor skills is building blocks or pop it toys . When playing the game, children can train the movement of their finger muscles so that they can grip and reach for an object well.
Not only that, this game can also stimulate the ability to coordinate body movements. Babies can generally start playing building blocks since they are 6 or 8 months old.
2. Painting or drawing
Through painting or drawing activities, children can train their finger skills to hold and move the brush. Not only that, this activity can also foster children’s imagination and creativity levels.
Several studies also show that children who have been taught to paint or draw since childhood have better learning and memory abilities. This makes painting or drawing activities can make children smarter .
3. Playing with dough
Moms and Dads can also train their little one’s motor skills through dough-shaped games, such as wax or clay. In addition, Moms can also invite their little one to play with cookie dough, if they can already eat solid foods.
By touching these objects, your little one will be trained to touch, pinch, press, and shape the dough into the shape he likes. This game can help your little one recognize the texture of objects around him.
4. Playing ball
Children’s gross motor skills can be trained by inviting them to play catch. Choose a medium-sized plastic ball that is not too heavy, so that it is easy for children to throw, catch, or kick it.
In this way, children practice moving their hands and feet to follow the movement of the ball given.
5. Pulling and pushing toys
When your baby starts learning to walk, give him toys that can be pushed or pulled. Toys that can be used to train him to pull and push, for example, big car and truck toys. In addition, Mom and Dad can also invite your little one to play with his favorite doll.
In addition to the games above, Mom and Dad can also stimulate your little one’s motor skills by inviting him to play outside the house, for example in the yard. When playing outside the house, Mom and Dad can invite your little one to play ball, cars, or play tag with your little one.
Moms and Dads also need to always accompany and look after their little ones when they play because little ones tend to like putting foreign objects into their mouths. This risks causing them to choke.
Delayed Motor Development
The growth and development of one child with another child is not necessarily the same. There are children who grow and develop normally, but there are also those who are a little slower than children of the same age.
However, mothers and fathers do not need to worry about this because delayed motor skills do not always indicate that the child is experiencing developmental problems.
Mom and Dad can continue to accompany your little one every time he tries to try new things, including when his motor skills are trained. Appreciate the activities he does by giving applause or encouragement. Thus, your little one will be motivated to try new things.
However, if your little one’s growth and development seems very stunted or if you and your partner are worried about their condition, try consulting a doctor so that the doctor can evaluate your little one’s condition and find out the cause.
If your little one is diagnosed as having developmental disabilities, the doctor can provide treatment and advice on how to train your little one’s motor skills and stimulate their general growth and development.