Nursery World - In hand

Offer a wide range of experiences that will develop children's fine motor skills, says Lena Engel Area of learning: Physical development Learning intention: To encourage children to handle tools, objects and malleable materials safely and with increasing control Children use their hands to investigate and manipulate their environment, so settings should provide ample opportunities for them to experiment with materials and tools. The greater the variety of exciting physical experiences, the more likely children will develop good fine motor skills, which in turn will boost their self-confidence and provide them with the level of hand-eye co-ordination needed for writing later on.

Area of learning: Physical development Learning intention: To encourage children to handle tools, objects and malleable materials safely and with increasing control Children use their hands to investigate and manipulate their environment, so settings should provide ample opportunities for them to experiment with materials and tools. The greater the variety of exciting physical experiences, the more likely children will develop good fine motor skills, which in turn will boost their self-confidence and provide them with the level of hand-eye co-ordination needed for writing later on.

Moulding

Holding and manipulating malleable materials strengthens the muscles in the palm and fingers and so gives children good control of their hands. For young children, moulding is unthreatening because they can play at their own pace and absorb as much or as little as they want of events around them. They can copy their peers or use their imagination to create interesting objects.

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