Your toddler will have been using their fingers to carry out tasks for some time. It is likely that they will have been using isolated fingers to try to pop bubbles, or they may use all their fingers to grab objects.
Your toddler is working hard to master their fine motor skills. They are engaging in activities, like fingerplay, that will support finger awareness, hand-eye coordination and strengthen the muscles in their hands and fingers in preparation for future tasks, such as writing. When children engage in fingerplay activities, they practice both how to move their fingers in isolation, and also use bilateral coordination movements.
Fingerplay is an important step in your child’s learning. It is a form of multisensory learning which is linked to hand movements. It engages multiple senses such as vision, hearing and movement. Fingerplay has been used to teach children about counting, colours, and rhyming, as well as to assist them to improve their memory through imitation and repetition and maybe the oldest and most widespread number representation system in the world. [1]
Fingerplay is extremely beneficial for children and benefits many areas of learning and development, such as
Much research has been carried out into the relationship between numbers and fingers. It is widely regarded, but not agreed by all, that when fingers are used in numerical tasks, it can support toddlers in transitioning from a symbolic representation of number to mastering the concept of number. [1] At this stage, most toddlers generally need a physical object to help them represent quantity and what better tool can they use than their fingers; especially as they are available all the time.
Researchers also suggest that symbols, such as numbers, are learned more easily when they are linked to sensory or motor experiences. [2] The action of touching their own fingers could make it easier for toddlers to understand the concepts of number and counting. When hands and fingers are used to support songs and singing, toddlers are thought to enjoy creating the actions which help them to learn the song.
Children usually use the tips of their fingers to represent number. Initially, children will use their fingers in a non-methodical fashion and recite numbers sporadically. This will happen quite frequently to begin as they try to process the association of fingers and number. Fingers are thought of as an effective strategy to support their early learning and many children may use fingers before they can say a word for the number. [1]
Your toddler’s hands and fingers will become stronger and they will gain more control of their movements. You will notice an improvement with finger positioning which will support them when holding crayons, turning pages in a book and opening containers.
References:
[1] M. Oswald, M.A. Hurst, S.C. Levine (2020). Article: Math at Your Fingertips! Easy Counting Activities Using Number Gestures. Development and Research in Early Math Education (stanford.edu) Available online at Math at Your Fingertips! Easy Counting Activities Using Number Gestures | Development and Research in Early Math Education (stanford.edu)
[2] M. Andres, E. Olivier, A. Badets (2008) Paper: Actions, Words, and Numbers: A Motor Contribution to Semantic Processing? Current Directions in Psychological Science. Available online at: (PDF) Actions, Words, and Numbers: A Motor Contribution to Semantic Processing? | Etienne OLIVIER - Academia.edu