An important component in teaching children is the development of fine motor skills. In fact, this is the development of coordination and dexterity with the help of the child performing small and precise movements with his hands and fingers. What is it for? Scientists have long established a close connection between the hands and the speech center of the brain. The earlier you start your studies, the easier it will be for the children to master the school curriculum later, especially reading and writing. Since children tend to perceive through play, various finger games have the greatest effect on the development of motor skills.
Finger gymnastics
The simplest, but no less effective, way to teach a child's fingers to obey is to play a fascinating show with them. Finger gymnastics not only trains motor skills, but also helps the child to navigate in terms of "right" and "left", "up" and "down".
Any exercise with fingers and hands is accompanied by funny verses. For the smallest, finger and palm massage is suitable: "Magpie-crow". Mom (or dad, or maybe a teacher) performs all the actions with the baby's hand.
The crow-magpie cooked porridge, I cooked porridge, fed the children
(with the index finger, the mother makes circular movements in the palm of the child)
I gave this on a spoon
(the child's thumb curls into a fist), This on a ladle
(the index finger is bent and further along the line of the verse all fingers, except for the little finger), This is in a cup, This is on a plate.
And this finger
(mom rubs her little finger with her thumb)
Gave nothing!
You didn't go to the forest
(for each line, the fingers are unbent from the fist in the reverse order), I didn't chop wood, I didn't carry water, Didn't heat the stove -
There will be no porridge for you!
(the mother slaps her palm lightly on the open palm of the child and all movements are then performed to massage the child's palm and fingers).
Voronenok went to the forest, (mom imitates walking with two fingers)
Chopped wood
(tapping movements are performed with the edge of the palm)
I put it in the stove, (three children's fingers of the other hand are placed in the palm and covered with the fingers of this hand, as if they are hiding)
Cook porridge, cook sweet!
(without changing the previous position of the hands, it is necessary to make circular movements with the help of the hands and elbows, as if stirring an imaginary porridge).
Older children should do the exercises themselves, repeating after an adult. In addition to fingers and palms, hands in general, legs and even the head of children can enter into exercises. It turns out a fun exercise:
- Cockerel, cockerel, (The child should connect the pads of the thumb and forefinger, and leave the rest of the fingers straight to form the head of the rooster. The thumb and forefinger perform pinching movements, as if the cockerel is talking).
Golden scallop, (the palms are connected in a lock, the fingers rise and fall, imitating the comb of a rooster)
Butter head, (with both palms, the child should perform stroking movements from the temples to the crown)
Silk beard, (chin is smoothed from top to bottom with palms in turn)
Why are you getting up early?
(the child should bend over, reach the toes with his toes and smoothly straighten up, stretching upward with his hands up)
What are you singing loudly?
(hands are placed with palms on the sides, elbows to the side and the movements of the cock's wings back and forth are imitated)
You don't let your children sleep!
(palms together are pressed alternately to one or the other of the child's ear, imitating a pose in a dream).
Puppet theater where the actors are fingers
Make a screen out of a cardboard box and invite your child to participate in creating a fairy tale. Finger puppets can be sewn or also made of cardboard. The last option is even simpler: fairy tale characters are drawn, rings of different sizes are glued from cardboard (so that it can be put on any child's finger), and the hero is glued to the ring. The fairy tale begins!
DIY crafts
Various drawing or sculpting techniques with your fingers are also considered effective methods for developing fine motor skills. Drawing with colored sand is of particular interest for children.
The store sells special adhesive pattern templates and sandbags in a variety of colors. An animal (or object) is drawn on an adhesive board, divided into parts by lines. Each line is indicated by its own number. The instructions say which number to fill in with which color sand. The child should pick up the sand with pinches and sprinkle the appropriate parts without going out of line. Since the template is treated with a special glue, the sand is immediately glued. With the help of this technique, children learn not only to work with their fingers, but also develop an eye (so as not to go beyond the line and spoil the drawing).
