Fine Motor Development of Toddler Two

The fine motor skills of Toddle-Twos are much more advanced from previous growth stages. Below are the key milestones in their fine motor development :

1. They could now turn the pages of a book, one page at a time, with improved release.
2. They are able to build a tower of six blocks. They can put a square block edgewise into the rectangular hole of a shape sorting box. They sense oneness versus many.
3. They can use small scissors; string beads with a large needle or lace; hold a glass of milk or juice securely (often with one hand); handle a spoon with thumb and radial finger and hold it palm up (or by overhand grasp).
4. With a twist of the wrist, and they can turn a knob.
5. They can grasp an object without danger of its dropping. These improved bodily powers indicate their readiness to handle themselves at the family dining table.
6. The memory span of Toddler-Twos has lengthened somewhat. They look for missing toys. Their imitative and perceptual behaviors show finer discrimination.
7. The two year olds’ eyes no longer show an unfocused stare or wandering glance; now he attends to the scene about him.

There is also an interdependence of fine motor and mental development; for example, they think with their body and muscles when enacting a fairy tale about an elephant. They are not yet ready to move their hands in different directions and they have trouble folding and creasing a piece of paper. The two-year-old's eyes no longer show an unfocused stare or wandering glance; now he attends to the scene about him.
 

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