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Parenting and child development

Fine motor skills

Small, precise movements of the wrists, hands and fingers, like picking up small bits of food, scribbling, stringing beads or doing buttons.

What It Means

Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements we make with the wrists, hands and fingers, as Cleveland Clinic defines them. Writing is a fine motor skill, while waving an arm uses the large muscles of gross motor skillsGross motor skillsMovements that use the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso, like rolling over, sitting, walking, running and kicking a ball. See more. In young children, fine motor skills show up as passing a toy from hand to hand, picking up small bits of food, scribbling, stringing beads, drawing and doing buttons.

Try It: Fine or Gross? Sort Six Skills

Fine motor means small, precise hand and finger movements. Gross motor means the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso. Sort each skill.

Picking up small bits of food between thumb and pointer finger

Kicking a ball

Scribbling with a crayon

Hopping on one foot

Buttoning some buttons

Waving an arm

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How Parents Say It

  • "She picks up every last pea off the tray now."
  • "He colors all over the page, and the table."
  • "Can you do your own buttons yet?"

The Breakdown

Hand and finger milestones by age, from CDC's checklists

By this ageMost children (75% or more) can
9 monthsMove things from one hand to the other
1 yearPick things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food
18 monthsScribble
2 yearsEat with a spoon; hold something in one hand while using the other, like holding a container and taking the lid off
3 yearsString items together, like large beads or macaroni
4 yearsDraw a person with three or more body parts
5 yearsWrite some letters in their name; button some buttons

CDC files these under different areas. At 2 years, for example, eating with a spoon sits under movement, and holding something in one hand while using the other sits under learning and thinking. They're gathered here because each depends on small, precise hand movements.

When to talk to the doctor. CDC recommends talking with your child's doctor about any concern with how your child plays, learns or moves. Each milestone sits at the age most children already have it, so a missing one is worth raising at the next well-child visit.

Good to Know

Children get to these skills at their own pace, and CDC's ages mark when 75% or more have them. Watch what your child does with their hands in everyday life, like at meals, with crayons and while dressing, and bring what you notice to checkups. The doctor can tell you whether anything needs a closer look.

FAQ

What are examples of fine motor skills?

Moving a toy from one hand to the other, picking up small bits of food with thumb and pointer finger, scribbling, stringing large beads, drawing a person, writing letters and buttoning buttons. Each uses small, precise movements of the wrists, hands and fingers.

When do babies pick things up with their thumb and finger?

CDC lists picking things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food, among the things most children can do by 1 year.

What fine motor skills should a 5-year-old have?

CDC's 5-year checklist includes writing some letters in their name and buttoning some buttons. If you have a concern, talk with your child's doctor.

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Notes

Keep a running page in Notes (Premium) in Buhata of the hand skills you notice, and bring it to the next checkup.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Gross motor skills

    Movements that use the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso, like rolling over, sitting, walking, running and kicking a ball.

  • Developmental milestones

    Skills most children can do by a certain age, like rolling over or waving bye-bye. CDC places each at the age 75% or more of children reach it.

  • Occupational therapy

    Therapy that helps a child do the everyday activities of childhood, such as playing, learning, eating, dressing and sleeping, by building skills or adapting the task.

  • Finger foods

    Small, soft pieces of food a baby picks up and feeds to themselves, usually begun once they sit up and can bring food to their mouth.

  • Sensory play

    Play that invites a child to touch, squish, pour, smell, listen and look, such as sand, water, playdough or textured materials.

  • Kindergarten readiness

    How prepared a child is for kindergarten, in social, emotional, language, thinking and physical skills, alongside meeting their state's entry age.

Parenting and child development

Sources

Cleveland Clinic, "Fine Motor Skills: What They Are, Development and Examples"; Cleveland Clinic, "Gross Motor Skills: What They Are, Development and Examples"; CDC, "CDC's Developmental Milestones"; CDC, "Milestones by 9 Months", "1 Year", "18 Months", "2 Years", "3 Years", "4 Years" and "5 Years"

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