Typical Fine Motor Skills in a Seven-Year-Old

Fine motor skills are a child's ability to use small muscles, particularly those in the hands and fingers, to perform tasks such as turning pages in a book, picking up small objects and using pencils or crayons to draw and write. Fine motor skills develop at a regular pace, but the point at which children meet certain milestones can vary. Consult a pediatrician if you have concerns about your child's development.

  1. Writing

    • By the age of 7, most children show the skills needed to start and succeed in school. Of these skills, fine motor ability will have progressed enough to enable the child to hold a pencil correctly. This allows him to print letters properly and build them into words and sentences. The ability to form numbers correctly means the child can move on to addition, subtraction and other mathematical processes requiring writing a series of numbers.

    Drawing

    • Progress in fine motor skills also appears in a 7-year-old's artwork. By this age, she is able to draw and paint clear shapes, such as triangles, squares and circles. She can draw houses, trees and animals with more detail than before. When she draws a person, she includes at least six body parts. She has the finger coordination to use regular-size crayons and markers instead of the fatter ones designed for younger children.

    Personal Care

    • By age 7, your child can take responsibility for much of his self-care. He can comb his own hair and get dressed and undressed independently, having mastered the use of zippers, buttons and snaps. He can brush his own teeth without an adult having to follow after him, and is coordinated enough to put the toothpaste on the brush himself. This is a good time to teach him how to floss his teeth. In most cases, his fine motor skills have developed enough to learn how to tie his shoes.

    Additional Skills

    • A 7-year-old should be able to use scissors correctly and cut along a series of curved and straight lines while deviating less than 1 centimeter from the printed line. She should be able to feed herself independently without needing an adult's help or supervision and use forks and spoons properly. She can probably pour liquids from a pitcher into a cup with little spillage and help out in the kitchen by cutting firm fruits or vegetables with a dinner knife.

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