Component 3: Fine Motor Development
Learning Goal 3.b: Children develop writing and drawing skills.
By 9 months, most children:
- Grasp objects with their thumb, index, and middle fingers (i.e., using pincer grip)
- Bring their hands to their midline (i.e., moving hands towards each other over the middle of their body)
By 18 months, most children:
- Grab and hold large writing objects, such as crayons, with their whole fist
- Scribble spontaneously on paper
By 24 months, most children:
- Hold large writing objects, such as crayons, in an approximate thumb-and-finger grip
- Make spontaneous dots, lines, and wobbly circles when painting or drawing
- Fold paper approximately in half
By 36 months, most children:
- Hold a pencil in an approximate thumb-and-finger grip
- Attempt to copy a drawn circle
- Attempt to imitate a drawn cross
- Attempt to imitate a horizontal and vertical stroke
By 48 months, most children:
- Hold a regular pencil using an adult grip
- Imitate a horizontal and vertical stroke
- Imitate a drawn cross
- Imitate a drawn circle
- Write letter or numeral-like forms
By 60 months, most children:
- Draw recognizable shapes
- Write some letters and numerals
