Fine Motor Development Char t

Age Developmental Milestones Possible implications if milestones not achieved

 Reflexive grasp (at birth)

 Global ineffective reach for objects (3 months)
 Voluntary grasp (3 months)  Poor muscle development and control
 2 handed palmar grasp (3 months)  Delayed ability to play independently
0–6  1 handed palmar grasp (5 months)  Delayed sensory development due to delayed interaction with toys and other
months  Controlled reach (6 months) sensory objects

 Reaches, grasps, puts object in mouth

 Controlled release of objects
 Static Pincer grasp (thumb and one finger)
 Picks things up with pincer grasp (thumb and one finger)  Poor development of hand and finger strength
6 – 12  Transfers objects from one hand to another  Poor manipulation of objects resulting in delayed play skills
months  Drops and picks up toys  Delayed sensory development due to lack of sensory play experiences

 Builds tower of three small blocks

 Puts four rings on stick
 Places five pegs in pegboard
 Turns pages two or three of a book at a time
 Scribbles
 Turns knobs
 Paints with whole arm movement, shifts hands, makes strokes
 Self-feeds with minimal assistance  Poor development of hand and finger strength
 Able to use signing to communicate  Delayed independent play skills
1 -2  Brings spoon to mouth  Delayed development of self care skills (such as eating)
years  Holds and drinks from cup independently  Delayed manipulation skills

 Strings four large beads

 Turns single pages of a book
 Snips with scissors
 Holds crayon with thumb and fingers (not fist)
 Uses one hand consistently in most activities
 Imitates circular, vertical, and horizontal strokes  Delayed self-care skills (such as eating)
 Paints with some wrist action, makes dots, lines, circular strokes  Delayed pre-writing skill development
2- 3  Rolls, pounds, squeezes, and pulls playdough  Delayed manipulation of small objects such as toys, pencils and scissors
years  Eats without assistance  Frustration when manipulating small toys and objects

3 – 4 yrs  Builds tower of nine small blocks  Delayed pre-writing skill development
  Copies circle  Frustration and/or avoidance of pencil based tasks
 Imitates cross  Poor pencil grasp and pencil control
 Manipulates clay material (rolls balls, makes snakes, cookies)  Poor self-care skills (such as eating)
 Uses non-dominant hand to assist and stabilise the use of objects  Delayed drawing skills
 Snips paper using scissors

 Cuts on line continuously

 Copies cross
 Copies square
 Writes name
 Writes numbers 1-5  Difficulties holding and manipulating a pencil
 Copies letters  Difficulties learning to write name and other letters of the alphabet
 Handedness is well established  Dependence on caregivers for every day activities such as dressing
4 -5 yrs  Dresses and undresses independently  Frustration and/or avoidance of pencil based tasks

 Cuts out simple shapes

 Copies triangle  Difficulties learning to form letters and numbers correctly
 Colours within lines  Poor handwriting
 Uses a 3 fingered grasp of pencil and uses fingers to generate movement  Difficulties demonstrating academic ability on paper
 Pastes and glues appropriately  Fatigue during pencil based tasks
5 – 6 yrs  Can draw basic pictures  Frustration and/or avoidance of pencil based tasks

 Difficulties getting ideas down on paper

 Forms most letters and numbers correctly  Experiences fatigue during handwriting tasks
 Writes consistently on the lines  Difficulty keeping up in class due to slow handwriting speed
 Demonstrates controlled pencil movement  Poor legibility of handwriting
 Good endurance for writing  May impact on self-esteem when comparing work to peers
 Can build Lego, K’nex and other blocks independently  Possible frustration and/or behavior difficulties due to avoidance of pencil
6 -7 yrs  Ties shoelaces independently based tasks

 Difficulty completing handwriting tasks in a timely manner

 Experiencing fatigue during handwriting tasks
 Poor academic achievement due to difficulty getting ideas down on paper
7- 8 yrs  Maintains legibility of handwriting for entirety of a story  Difficulties due to avoidance of pencil based tasks