What is the most important part of the body we use to help us complete daily tasks?
Hands!
We as humans are born with body parts for a reason.
We have legs to walk, we have mouths to eat food and communicate, we have eyes to see things, we have ears to hear. We also have hands.
Why are hands important in our lives?
We use our hands in everyday life, for eating, drinking, dressing, using phone, working, driving…etc.
We use our hands to do everything in our daily life!
Can you think of something that doesn’t require our hands?
Soccer, walking, watching movies…Rarely, right? Do you know that we still need our arms when we walk to help us balance?
We need our hands and fingers to function in daily living, especially for children.
Children learn the skills needed for their development, including handwriting, self-care (dressing, brushing teeth, using the bathroom), and playing. They are developing their fine motor skills!
Some children are struggling with handwriting, fastening clothes (buttons and zippers), and using utensils at mealtime. These are all related to our fine motor skills!
What are fine motor skills?
Hands and fingers are used for our fine motor skills; these are essential skills that help us function in daily living. Fine motor skills are the movement and coordination of a person’s small muscles in our hands, wrists, and fingers. Fine motor skills include strength, manipulation, dexterity, finger control, finger separation, eye-hand coordination, and bilateral coordination…etc. When you move your hands and fingers, you are using your fine motor skills.
We all need fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are important for all ages from infants to elderly. However, we often forget the importance of our hands and fingers.
I am proud to be an occupational therapist. Ella Wu, OTD, OTR/L Doctor of Occupational Therapy
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