11.3.3: Fine Motor Skills

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the development of fine motor skills in infants and toddlers.
2. Identify typical fine motor milestones from birth to age 2.

More exact movements of the feet, toes, hands, and fingers are referred to as fine motor skills (or small motor skills). These include the ability to reach and grasp an object in coordination with vision. Newborns cannot grasp objects voluntarily but do wave their arms toward objects of interest. At about 4 months of age, the infant can reach for an object, first with both arms and within a few weeks, with only one arm. Grasping an object involves the use of the fingers and palm, but not the thumbs.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): An infant feeding themselves. Image by Matt Preston is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The use of the thumb typically begins around 9 months of age, when the infant is able to grasp an object using the forefinger and thumb. This is known as the pincer grip. This ability greatly enhances the ability to control and manipulate objects, and infants take great delight in this newfound skill. They may spend hours picking up small objects from the floor and placing them in containers. And as those objects will often next go into the mouth, caregivers must be vigilant about keeping items small enough to be choking hazards out of reach of little fingers. By 9 months, an infant can also watch a moving object, reach for it as it approaches, and grab it. This is quite a complicated set of actions, considering how difficult it would have been just a few months earlier. ²⁶

Physical Fine Motor Milestones

While fine motor skills are slower to develop (following proximodistal development), pretty remarkable progress is made in fine motor development during the first two years. As stated above, in the first few years of life, children transition from having no intentional fine motor control to being able to manipulate objects for play and learning, as well as begin to care for themselves. The following table outlines the major milestones in fine motor development.

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Fine Motor Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain.

Typical Age	What Most Children Do by This Age
2 months	Grasps reflexively Does not reach for objects Holds hands in a fist
4 months	Brings hands to mouth Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it Follows moving things with eyes from side to side Can hold a toy with whole hand (palmar grasp) and shake it and swing at dangling toys
6 months	Reaches with both arms Brings things to mouth Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
9 months	Puts things in mouth Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other Picks up things between thumb and index finger (pincer grip)
1 year	Reaches with one hand Bangs two things together Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container Lets things go without help Pokes with index (pointer) finger
18 months	Scribbles on own Can help undress herself Drinks from a cup Eats with a spoon with some accuracy Stacks 2-4 objects
2 years	Builds towers of 4 or more blocks Might use one hand more than the other Makes copies of straight lines and circles Enjoys pouring and filling Unbuttons large buttons Unzips large zippers Drinks and feeds self with more accuracy

References, Contributors and Attributions

26. Children’s Development by Ana R. Leon is licensed under CC BY 4.0