Why Are Fine Motor Skills Important

Even in this age of technology, it is still important to be able to manipulate a pencil, pen or crayon with ease. Your child will need strong fine motor skills to hold a pencil correctly and to move the pencil in all the complicated ways required to draw letters and shapes with precision.

Using scissors correctly is another lifelong skill that is reliant on fine motor skills. Your child will need well-developed muscles in his thumb, index finger, middle finger and wrist to open and close the blades of the scissors.

Playing any musical instrument requires finely honed fine motor skills. And think about the demands on small fingers and hands when children play with video game controls and use cell phones and computer keypads. Those little fingers need to be able to move with precision! Even getting dressed and manipulating buttons and zippers requires strong fingers.