Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

01 July 2026

5-minute read

Fine motor skills are often spoken about as small movements, but their impact on a child’s development is anything but small. These are the coordinated movements of the hands, fingers, and wrists that allow a child to grasp a pencil, button a shirt, cut with scissors, build with blocks, or even feed themselves independently. They are the foundation of so many everyday tasks that adults often take for granted.

What makes fine motor development so important in the early years is that it is directly linked to a child’s growing independence and confidence. When a child learns to hold a crayon properly and begins to draw shapes, they are not just making marks on paper; they are developing hand strength, coordination, and control. These early movements later translate into writing readiness, problem-solving skills, and classroom confidence.

Cubs Club was founded by qualified teacher Naadhirah Loonat and paediatric occupational therapist Ammarah Sader, combining two important areas of expertise: education and developmental therapy.

The concept itself was born from lived experience. After becoming a mother, Naadhirah realized that the traditional way of facilitating a child’s development is not necessarily the choice of every parent today. She had noticed in her daughter Humayra’s early development that she was not a ‘regular’ child, displaying sensitivities and staying away from sensory play from a young age. Naadhirah chose to take her daughter to occupational therapist Ammarah and discovered that there were ways to facilitate Humayra’s learning in an alternative way. Together with Ammarah, Cubs Club was developed to bridge the gap and create a space for a playgroup that was both educationally rich and developmentally intentional.

In each session, children are exposed to activities that naturally strengthen fine motor skills to ensure school readiness, physical development, routine and processing of information. Pouring rice between containers, singing with actions, squeezing playdough, threading beads, poking bubble wrap, using tongs to pick up objects, and engaging in sensory bins are all carefully designed experiences that build learning. They are also deeply connected to sensory exploration, play, and repetition. These simple play-based actions strengthen the small muscles in the hands while building focus and coordination between the eyes and hands. At the same time, children are developing vocabulary and communication skills, social interaction, and emotional regulation through play.

Ammarah says that a playful and comforting environment “provides an experience-dependent neurological development.” She states that the body is an “integrated system” and at times, the “visual-perceptual system” of the body impacts the ability to co-ordinate movements.

One of the most powerful aspects of early fine motor development is that it supports not just academic readiness, but life readiness. A child who can manage small hand tasks independently experiences a sense of achievement. That sense of “I can do it myself” builds resilience, independence, confidence and self-esteem.

“Fine motor skills” denotes the ability to use and manipulate your hands in everything that you do from writing with a pen and typing on a keyboard, to tying your shoelaces and zipping your jeans. A simple sign that a child may need more support in their ability to use their hands is getting easily frustrated when he or she can’t do something,

Fine motor skills are linked to gross motor skills because a strong hand means a strong body. Parents can easily incorporate activities at home to strengthen fine motor skills without needing special tools or structured lessons. Bring your kids into the kitchen and get them involved in peeling, grating, mixing, pouring and cleaning up. Read to them and act out the story to build their ability to speak, develop their vocabulary and articulate themselves. Get them to help clean the house, hang washing or even just pass you the pegs. Set up a walkway in the garden, ways to climb over and crawl under obstacles, to develop spatial skills. Take your kids outside to run, jump, kick a ball, or just play in the garden. Indoors, build blocks and do puzzles. These all help to create muscle strength, ease in your child’s gross motor skills and precision in their fine motor skills, says Naadhirah. Ammarah emphasizes that “it’s never too late” to work on one’s fine motor skills, to improve clumsiness. Older children and even adults can play games like Jenga and draw structures or do basic household chores like making the bed or hanging washing to develop these skills.

For older children, school holidays are often seen as a break from learning, but they are also a perfect opportunity for development without pressure. The key is to make motor skill activities feel like fun rather than “practice.”

Ultimately, fine motor skills are not just about preparing children for handwriting or school tasks. They are about preparing children for life, giving them the strongest possible foundation to grow, learn, and thrive.

Listen to the full program with Faaiza Munshi and her guests Naadhirah Loonat and Ammarah here.