Child development experts often highlight the significance of fine motor skills in children. In some reports, it was reported that some children have difficulties in holding a pencil correctly. These articles discussed that the main reason for this phenomenon is due to the increased use of technology and touch screen.

It cannot be denied that writing by hand is an important life skill that remains extremely essential even though the use of technology becomes increasingly prevalent. As we investigate on how we can improve children’s handwriting, it is important to consider increasing their fine motor skills and upper body strength. Having a strong upper body strength helps to improve their fine motor skills as they are able to build strength in holding a pencil since young.

There are two important factors to consider in developing upper body strength and they include myelination and physical movement. Myelination refers to the neural development of a child while physical movements include running and climbing monkey bars.

Myelination

Myelination occurs when children take part in purposeful and repeated activities that are able to support the development of nerve and its connections. Myelination is a long process that takes place over a long period of 15 years as muscles become more developed from the spinal cord to the extremities. This allows children to gain large muscles for coordination before developing smaller complex muscles in the hands as part of fine motor skills. By putting effort in their movements through repetition, children are able to gain muscles and control over their bodies.

Physical Movement

Physical movements in children include running, swinging, climbing and other activities which expend a large amount of energy. Such activities allow them to gain upper body strength and increase their muscle tones, resulting in the development of fine motor skills.

Holding a pencil is a fine motor skill and before we focus that, we should begin with developing the larger muscle groups at a young age because they serve as a precursor to fine motor skills. The first important action that you should take is to allow them to do things by themselves. You can give them time to walk around outdoors or even allow them to carry some lightweight groceries.

Secondly, limit their time in front of screens because the use of tablets or televisions promote inactivity, and this is something that we want to avoid if the time of inactivity becomes very long. They should be engaged in physical activities as it allows them to work their bodies and brains simultaneously.

For physical activities, monkey bars are great products as they are extremely beneficial in improving hand strength. They allow children to gain gross motor skills and they also work on their hand eye coordination as children swing from bar to bar. Other than developing core strength, monkey bars also increase children’s self-confidence level as they feel accomplished when they are able to complete a section or course of monkey bars.

Other than myelination in children’s brain, physical movement also plays a major role in brain development of children. If you are looking for indoor gym products, you can consider contacting Fitness Kid as they provide a plethora of products that are suitable for your children.