Further Reading

Your baby has been developing their ability to use their hands and arms to intentionally grip objects. They will have begun to reach for items which interest them, often holding them in the centre of their palm.  

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. 

The dexterity of your toddler’s hands is much improved and they may have been experimenting with taking lids off containers and moving objects such as sunglasses, a hat or scarf to their head or face. They have made much use of their increased skill of using two hands to perform tasks and this will have been seen when they have carried out tasks such as jigsaws and stirring ingredients in a bowl. They may have also been experimenting with building towers with their blocks.  

Your toddler’s hands are now becoming very useful tools. They have most likely been exploring all kinds of manipulation activities by using their whole hand and their fingers. You may have seen your toddler trying to pour using different containers, tear paper and use tools when they are playing with dough. 

Your child will have been exploring blocks and you may have seen them build towers using a variety of building resources. They may have been connecting some of them together and pulling them apart again. They may have started to take more of an interest in how to further develop the skills they have gained with their fine motor skills, in order to create new structures.