Toddlers have a minimal vocabulary, typically about 10 words at 18 months, and these children use their arms and hands to point and indicate what they want. Children at this age also develop key motor skills, coordination and reflexes to build muscles and learn walking and fine motor activities, such as pincer and grasping actions. Adults can help toddlers develop coordinated grasping actions through exercises and games.
Grasping and Pincer Abilities
Babies develop the ability to grasp and hold an object from birth to three months old, and enhance this ability during the period from three to six months. By the time the child reaches a year old, the thumb and finger hold, known as the pincer grasp, develops so the child can firmly hold food, toys or a spoon for feeding. The toddler also develops the pincer grasp enough to participate in basic games or exercise.
Lacing Toys
Lacing activities improve grasping abilities and also help build bilateral coordination by using both hands to manipulate a fabric piece to insert laces. One hand firmly grasps the material and the other aligns the lace to insert into the openings. Lacing helps develop fine motor coordination and also provides a visual focus. The nature of lacing activity also spurs motivation to complete a basic task.
Pegboards
Pegboards have a variety of uses for children, including counting activities, color sorting and sequencing. The use of pegs inserted into the boards with holes also helps toddlers practice grasping activities using both the palm of the hand and the fingers. Picking up the pegs from a container or a flat surface works the fingers and improves tactile skills.
Tweezer Games
Games involving a large set of plastic tongs resembling adult tweezers develop pincer skills. Activities using the oversize set of tweezers encourage the toddler to pick up beads or small toys and deposit the toys into a separate container. The child must master manipulating the tweezers by squeezing with the appropriate pressure to hold the toy without dropping it before reaching its destination.
Stringing Items
Activities that ask toddlers to string plastic beads or wooden objects on shoelaces, strings or ribbons help build grasping skills. Beads or wooden objects smaller than 1/4 inch provide a large enough object so the child doesn't experience frustration, but an object that still provides a challenge to pick up and move along a string, lace or ribbon.
Chalk and Crayon Use
Drawing projects incorporating the use of specially designed chalk and crayons, measuring more than 1/4-inch in diameter, help toddlers practice the basic pincer grasp. They also recruit motor skills to manipulate the chalk in an organized fashion to create a shape or add color to fill in an outline. Effective chalk or crayon use requires the toddler to manipulate all of his fingers and his thumb in a coordinated action that improves dexterity.
References
- Univeristy of Utah Health Sciences Library; Pediatric Exercise Videos
- North Dakota State University Extension Service; "Supporting Physical Growth and Development in Young Children"; Sean Brotherson; April 2006
- Make-the-Grade; "Activities to Aid in the Development of an Efficient Grasp"; Carrie Lippincott; 2006
- Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Fine Motor Development; September 2003
- American Printing House for the Blind; "Let's See Vision Development Perceptual Activities"; Elaine Kitchel et. al.
- Alachua County (Florida) Public Schools; "Fine Motor List"; Deanna Iris Sava
- The Motor Story; "Improving Dexterity"; Jill H. Mays; 2010
