Preparing Children for School – Fine Motor Skills
Honeybear Nursery & Pre-School provides a homely, safe and secure environment for children from 3 months to 5 years old. We also develop the children to their full potential, ensuring they are school ready when they enter Reception Class, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
There are a number of skills we look to develop to ensure they are school ready, one of which is fine motor skills. When the child starts school, the teacher will expect that the child can hold a pencil with a good pencil grip. From 2.5 years to 3.5 years old the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework expects the child to be using their first two fingers and thumb near to the end of the pencil point, with good control. Between the ages of 3.25 and 5 years old, the child would have started to show a preference for a dominant hand.
Throughout their time at Honeybear Nursery & Pre-School we encourage the development of a child’s fine motor skills. We offer a broad range of activities to support and develop these skills, including threading, painting and cooking. These skills encourage the child to use small movements in order to manipulate and move objects. At the same time we encourage mark-making, which allows the child to freely make marks and determines their preference for a dominant hand.
As the child’s fine motor skills develop, we spend time with them to encourage them to grip their pencil, using a strong grasp, ensuring that they hold their pencil correctly, so they are able to make marks, which ultimately become letters and numbers.
A child’s key-worker updates parents on a regular basis with how the child is developing, and informs them when they reach key milestones. The team at Honeybear Nursery & Pre-School looks to develop a partnership with parents, helping parents to understand how they can encourage their child to develop through play. The support and encouragement that we provide to the children, encourages their fine motor skills, ensuring that they are school ready.
