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Child development and growing up

Hand skills

Hand skills (also known as fine motor skills) are important for our day-to-day lives. As your child plays with their hands, they will develop their hand strength and dexterity. This will help them use tools like cutlery, pencils, and scissors.

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Find other pages on Hand Skills

adult and child drawing together
  • 1-5 Years
  • 5-11 Years

Getting ready to write

Making marks is foundation of being able to control a pencil, draw lines and shapes and then being able to draw. Mark making is considered part of ‘pre-writing’ which are the skills learned to enable children to hold pencils and pens and start to write letters and words.

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adult woman and child writing ABCs on large paper
  • 5-11 Years

Handwriting and typing

Learning to write by hand is still an essential skill. You will find information about learning to write letters, common issues with handwriting and handwriting programme. Keep an eye out for the tips and tricks to make handwriting fun for your child!

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Boy cutting yellow paper using scissors
  • 1-5 Years
  • 5-11 Years

Scissor skills

Scissor skills are important for many school activities like arts and crafts. Find advice on how to get started with teaching your child scissor skills and help them develop their skills and build confidence.

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