Play with own fingers and toes and focus on objects around them.
How young babies fix their gaze on objects or on their own feet or fists.
Place young babies where they can focus on and grasp toys, and wriggle and roll freely.
Provide a variety of toys that encourage young babies to reach and grasp, for example, a baby gym.
8-20 Months
Begin to bring together hand and eye movements to fix on and make contact with objects.
The movements and sounds babies make as they explore materials such as musical instruments, paint, dough, glue and the space around them.
Describe the movements young babies make as they move round and round, or ride a push-along toy in a straight line.
Plan a range of activities that encourage large and fine motor skills, such as throwing and kicking balls, riding push-along toys, feeding the guinea pigs.
16-26 Months
Make random marks with their fingers and some tools.
The different ways young children make marks, for example, in dough or clay.
Help young children to develop their manipulative skills by engaging them in activities such as tearing (paper), scribbling, rolling and printing.
Provide resources for finger-painting and play with soapy water, to interest young children who are not yet able to hold a brush or felt pen to make marks.
22-36 Months
Begin to show some control in their use of tools and equipment.
Ways in which children begin to develop fine motor skills, for example, the way they use their fingers when trying to do up buttons, pull up a zip, pour a drink or use a watering can.
Encourage children to handle and manipulate a variety of media and implements, for example, clay, finger-paint, spoons, brushes and shells.
Working with clay - In a nursery class, a child spends some time independently exploring clay. [transcript]
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Vary the range of tools and equipment located with familiar activities, for example, put small scoops, rakes or sticks with the sand.
30-50 Months
Use one-handed tools and equipment.
Draw lines and circles using gross motor movements.
Manipulate objects with increasing control.
The way children control equipment and materials.
The marks children like to make.
Provide activities that give children the opportunity and motivation to practise manipulative skills, for example, cooking and playing instruments.
Provide opportunities for large shoulder movements, for example, swirling ribbons in the air, batting balls suspended on rope and painting.
Encourage children to make shapes like circles and zig-zags in the air and in their play, for example, with sand and water and brushes.
40-60+ Months
Begin to use anticlockwise movement and retrace vertical lines.
Begin to form recognisable letters.
Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
Children's dexterity in using a range of tools in their play and writing.
Children's formation of recognisable letters.
Teach children to form letters correctly, for example, when they label their paintings.
Encourage children to practise letter shapes as they paint, draw and record, and as they write, for example, their names, the names of their friends and family, or captions.
Continue writing practice in imaginative contexts, joining some letters, if appropriate, for example, at, it, on.
Provide a variety of writing tools and paper, indoors and outdoors.
Give children practice in forming letters correctly, for example, labelling their work, making cards and writing notices.
Provide opportunities to write meaningfully, for example, by placing notepads by phones or having appointment cards in the role-play doctor's surgery.
