Fine motor skills
Fine motor skills tend to lag a little behind gross motor skills, although these though do catch up with support and practice. Writing is often one of the most obvious fine motor skill sets to develop at this time and involves both brain and muscle developments, but other examples can be seen in the way a child plays or undertakes activities such as getting dressed.
Physical skills take time to perfect, but when a child does master the skill and the coordination involved, they are very happy and rightly proud of their achievements.
Within the teenage years, the fine motor skills are refined even further as the child uses the skills to support their learning at school and then college. Writing typically becomes smaller and finer as the child writes faster to keep up with their peers.
Writing and drawing
Crafts
Musical Instruments
Getting dressed
Writing and drawing
A 5 year old likes to copy shapes. At 6 years old, they can usually copy symbols including those that make up letters. Around 8-10 years old, letters start to be joined up. By 11 most children are writing in a fluent way, using a joined up style.
Drawing: Starting with a crayon at 5 years old, the child learns to use pencils as their fine motor skills increase. Colouring in is more precise so the child is usually able to stay within the outline of the drawing.
Crafts
Using safety scissors is an important skill to master and most 5 year olds can cut a strip of paper fairly neatly. By 6 years old though, most will have learnt how to cut a shape from the middle of a piece of paper.
Musical Intrument
A 5 year old will usually bang on drums and try blowing a recorder, but until fine movements are co-ordinated, the notes are not defined in order or in time. Some children will choose to develop skills on a specific instrument and can develop quickly to achieve well in test
Getting dressed
A 6 year old is usually able to fasten buttons and tie shoelaces, but it can still require practice and support to get it right. Where a school requires a child to wear a tie, this skill will develop too, however many children do not need to do this until after 11 years old.