Fine Motor Development

Motor skills are critical for acting on and interacting with the world around us. All motor skills involve activation of muscles and result in movement of body parts. Two kinds of motor skills are typically distinguished: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills refer to activation of large muscle groups resulting in movements of the arms and legs or the whole body. In contrast, fine motor skills activate smaller muscle groups resulting in precise movements of small body parts, such as the fingers, hands, wrists, toes, feet, or eyes. Fine motor skills are also referred to as hand skills and include actions such as reaching, grasping, manipulating objects, performing bimanual (both-handed) coordination tasks (e.g., tying shoelaces), writing, and drawing. The high level ...