Are you concerned about your child's fine motor development?
Here are crucial steps in the development of good fine motor
skills that may help guide you to determine whether or not your child would
benefit from an occupational therapy screening or evaluation.
Questions or concerns? Our occupational therapy experts are
happy to assist. Email us at Askanexpert@llatherapy.org, or schedule an
evaluation Here
Three Months
• Tracks moving objects or
people from left to right and right to left
• Extends arms towards people
or objects
• Brings hands together at
middle of body
Six Months
• Extends only one arm towards a toy
• Grasps and moves rattle or toy through space
• Grasps a block with ring fingers, pinky fingers
and palm
• Transfers object between hands
Nine Months
• Pokes or points with index
finger
• Grasps a block with thumb, index, and middle
fingers
• Uses a raking motion with
fingers to pick up finger foods
• Removes items from a container
• Crumples paper with 1 or 2
hands
• Claps hands
Twelve
Months
• Uses thumb and tip of index finger
to pick up finger foods
• Holds two blocks in one hand
• Takes off socks
• Opens board book and attempts to turn pages
• Dumps things out and puts larger things in
containers
Fifteen
to Sixteen Months
• Grasps a marker or crayon
with fisted grasp and thumb and index finger towards paper to scribble
• Puts small things in
containers
• Stacks 2-3 blocks
Twenty
Months
• Stacks 4-5 blocks
• Turns board book pages 1 at a
time
• Feeds self with spoon and
fork with spillage
• Completes simple shape puzzles
Twenty-Four to Thirty Months
• Imitates vertical and
horizontal strokes with a crayon or marker
• Stacks 8-10 blocks
• Snips with scissors
• Strings beads
Thirty-Six to
Forty-Two Months
• Shows a clear hand dominance
• Grasps marker or crayon with
thumb and pad of index finger, other 3 fingers are secure against palm
• Feeds self with spoon and fork
without spilling
• Copies circle and plus signs
• Unbuttons large buttons
• Cuts on a thick line
Forty-Three to
Fifty Months
• Copies a square
• Cuts out a circle
• Begins to write name
• Buttons and unbuttons large
buttons on clothing
• Engages zipper and zips coat
Red Flags
Contact us if your child is not moving both arms freely by 3
months, grasping objects by 6 months, using both hands in a coordinated manner
by 9 months, finger feeding by 15 months, making purposeful marks on paper by
24 months, or does not have a hand dominance by 36 months. Other red flags include using middle finger
and thumb instead of index finger and thumb and persistence of fisted grasp on
crayons or markers after 36 months.
By Nicole Torres
Labels: Parents
