How I can help
Fine motor skills
Fine motor skill is much more than 'nimble fingers'. It includes strength, stability, two-handed coordination and precision — and it shows up in almost every task a child does in a day.
What you might notice
- Difficulty cutting with scissors
- Avoiding drawing, colouring and crafts
- Difficulty with buttons, zips and laces
- Tiring quickly in hand-based activities
- Work that looks less precise than expected for their age
Why this might be happening
Sometimes the base of strength and stability — shoulder, hand, fingers — isn't yet in place.
Sometimes the difficulty is coordinating both hands: one stabilises while the other works.
And sometimes it is simply limited experience — fewer opportunities to practise, which improves quickly with the right kind of doing.
What skills are involved
Strength and stability
A stable proximal base allows precision at the fingertips.
Bilateral coordination
Two hands working together in different roles.
In-hand manipulation
Moving a small object within the hand without the other hand helping.
Visual-motor accuracy
Directing movement to the right place.
How occupational therapy can help
- Building a motor base through enjoyable, age-appropriate activity
- Adapting tools and environment so success is possible
- Ideas for home that don't feel like drills
- Helping parents recognise progress
What Shira might assess
- Grip strength and endurance
- Coordination between the two hands
- Precision in cutting, scribbling and construction
- Hand preference and consistent use
When it's worth speaking to someone
- When avoidance of hand activities is consistent rather than passing
- When the difficulty affects independence or participation at kindergarten or school
Worth saying
A single sign doesn't mean a child needs therapy. Children develop at different rates, and often this is entirely ordinary variation. The point of a conversation is to understand the picture, not to find a problem.
Not sure exactly what your child needs? You can start with a conversation.
You don't need to diagnose the difficulty yourself. You can simply describe what you're seeing, and we'll start from a shared understanding of whether an occupational therapy assessment or treatment is appropriate.