What is useful finger gymnastics and how often it needs to be done

What is finger gymnastics

Finger gymnastics is a set of exercises for the fingers, designed to develop fine motor skills.

Classes help to coordinate the action of the nervous and muscular systems of the child, teach him to perform small and high-precision movements with his hands and fingers and deftly manipulate objects.

Such activities teach the child switchability - the ability to quickly move from one movement to another, which can later be useful when mastering speech skills.

How Finger Gymnastics Helps Develop Speech

Several scientific studies confirmed connection between fine motor skills and speech. For example, in two experiments found that the better the child controls the fingers in the first year of life, the more words he will know at 2.5-3 years.

At the same time, scientists have not yet figured out exactly how the work of the fingers and speech are connected. Alone considerthat greater finger dexterity helps babies interact more effectively with the environment and thus expand vocabulary faster.

Also have opinionthat the same structures are responsible for fine motor skills and vocabulary brainsuch as Broca's area, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex.

Thus, exercises for the development of finger movements may improve speech development and increase the vocabulary of the child.

At what age can finger gymnastics be done

Natalya Zakharova says that elementary classes can be carried out even with newborns a child - to stroke his hands and fingers, rub them, massage his hands.

From 3-4 months, when the baby opens his fists, you can roll massage balls, su-jok, cones, walnuts on his palms, let him hold teethers and rattles with pimples in his hands.

At 6-8 months, you can add finger curling rhymes, saying: “This finger is a grandfather, this finger is a grandmother,” and so on, listing the whole family. You can also tap your fists against each other, slap your open hand on the table, learn to clap your hands.

In addition, Natalya Zakharova recommends introducing the child to different tactile sensations at this age. You can let him touch bags with loose materials and fabrics that are different to the touch, take lids out of a jar, “rescue” small toys wrapped in foil, stick pieces of electrical tape and tear them off, sort out beads, tear paper.

From about a year old, a child can already repeat some simple elements of finger gymnastics, and from three years old, play plot finger games and accompany poems and nursery rhymes with gestures.

How to do finger exercises

Specific exercises depend on the age and development of the child.

What exercises to do

For example, children around 1 year of age can be taught the following gestures:

• Flashlights. Clenched fists are extinguished lanterns, an open palm is lit. Squeeze and unclench your hands, accompanying the action with words.
• cloud-sun. Clenched fists - clouds, a palm with spread fingers - the sun and rays. Alternate the positions of the hands, accompanying this with the words: “Here the clouds have gathered”, “And now the sun has come out”, and so on.
• Hammers. Bang your fists against each other - "hammers beat."
• hare ears. Put your palms to your head, depicting bunny ears.

From a year and a half, children can master more complex positions:

• chickens. Brushes are collected in a pinch, saying "hens are pecking."
• boat. The palm folds into a "boat" - you can shake it, showing how it floats.
• Binoculars. The palms are folded so that it resembles binoculars or glasses, and applied to the face.
• Class. Four fingers in a fist, thumb pointing up.
• Bunny. The index and middle fingers are extended, the rest are gathered into a fist.
• little people. The index and middle fingers are on the table, the rest are bent. "People" can walk and run on the surface and various objects.

You can use these gestures to create your own games, as well as try ready-made poems and songs.

What poems and songs to try

From about the age of three, children can memorize and repeat finger games with a certain plot, but everything is individual - someone will be able to perform them even at an earlier age. We will describe some good options.

Flashlights

Squeeze and unclench your palms, rhythmically saying:

"We'll light the lanterns
And then we'll go for a walk.
Let the lanterns shine
They light the way for us."

boat

Press two palms together so that your hands look like a boat, saying:

"I will press two hands
And by sea swim».

Perform wave-like movements, as if the boat is rocking on the waves:

"Two palms, friends, -
This is my boat."

Without disengaging your palms, raise your thumbs up and continue to swing your arms:

"I'll raise the sails,
I'll swim in the blue sea."

Completely connect your palms and make wave-like movements, depicting a fish:

"And on the stormy waves
Fish are swimming here and there.

Orange

Clench your hand into a fist, saying:

“We shared an orange.
There are many of us, and he is one!”

With the second hand, unbend your fingers in turn, saying one line each time:

"This slice is for a hedgehog,
This slice is for a siskin,
This slice is for ducklings,
This slice is for kittens
This slice is for the beaver…”

Show an open palm, saying:

“Well, the wolf is peeled!”

Then say:

"He's angry with us - trouble!
We are hiding in the house - here!

Fold your palms over your head, showing the house.

Winter walk

"One two three four five" - fingers bend one at a time, sentencing.

"We came to the yard walk» - index and middle fingers are placed on the table and "walk" on it.

"They made a snow woman" - hands imitate the modeling of a snowball.

"The birds were fed with crumbs" - all fingers perform a movement, as if crumbling bread.

“We then rode down the hill” - with the index finger of the right hand, pass over the palm of the left.

"And also rolled in the snow" - hands are placed on the table with palms, then turned over to the back and repeat the movement.

“Everyone came home in the snow” shake hands with palms on each other.

"We ate the soup and went to bed" - perform movements with an imaginary spoon and put a hand under the cheek.

For more game ideas and scenarios, check out the playlist below:

How often to do finger exercises

Elena Shakhova says that, ideally, finger gymnastics should be done daily, and even better - 2-3 times a day. In theory, this is quite possible, since most exercises take about five minutes. However, in reality, few devote enough time to them.

The psychologist adds that the frequency and duration of classes, as well as the choice of specific exercises, depends on what goals the parents pursue.

If the child does not have developmental disabilities, and finger gymnastics is used as a way to have a pleasant and fun time, several times a week are enough.

At the same time, it is necessary to select exercises in such a way that the child copes with them, and it is not a burden for parents to do this. In this case, the training will be fun, the kid will be motivated to repeat the game he likes again.

If the child has problems with the development of speech, it is worth drawing up a program with the participation of a specialist - psychologist, speech therapist or defectologist, and engage systematically and regularly.