Fine Motor Developmental Activities for Infants

As soon as babies are born, they begin changing, growing and learning skills that they will need throughout their life. Gross motor skills that involve the entire body, such as rolling over or sitting up, are typically learned first. Then infants start to focus on developing fine motor skills. You can help your infant learn these by providing a variety of activities.

Play

• Any type of activity that lets your child come into contact with a toy or a person will keep her interested. It's important for you to interact with your baby and point out situations that she might like to explore. Peek-a-boo and Patty Cake are games that will delight your infant and stimulate her fine motor skills. If your baby prefers to be moving frequently, walk her around the house. Point out objects and people and allow your infant to reach out and grab objects that are safe to touch.

Exploration

• Allow your infant to explore on her own. Place a variety of objects with different textures and colors in front of her. Let her reach out for them, turn them over in her hands and inspect them closely. Don't force one object on her for too long. Instead, allow her to explore whichever object she finds most interesting. Choose objects that perform little tasks, such as a plastic keychain with a button that makes a doorbell sound. Not only will your infant enhance her fine motor skills, but she will also learn cause-and-effect. Make sure the objects and toys cannot fit into her mouth or present a choking hazard.

Tummy Time

• Laying your baby on her stomach for short periods of time is a great way to develop both fine and gross motor skills. Your infant will try to hold her head up and look at what is going on around her, thus leading to an enhancement of her fine motor skills. Place toys or objects just a few inches out of her reach. Motivate her to move to get to them or reach out and grab them. Once your infant has mastered taking a toy that is out of reach, she will develop her fine motor skills even further by turning the toy over in her hand to look at it and then pass it from one hand to the other.

Provide Toys

• Toys are one of the best ways to allow your baby to develop his fine motor skills. Your baby will love to watch you play with them and will become fascinated with the colors and textures. Remember to demonstrate the toy to your infant and show him how it works. Teach him how to reach by holding a toy roughly 3 inches away from him and coax him to grab it. Use an infant gym that allows your baby to reach and grab for various objects while lying on his back. Choose gyms that have different textures, shapes and sounds to fully stimulate your baby.