Teachers turn fine motor play into neural pathways.
When young children are cutting shapes, threading beads, building with blocks, or carefully drawing a picture, it might just look like play. But in these moments, teachers are helping to grow strong, literacy-ready brains.
These fine motor activities help strengthen the brain’s ability to coordinate movement, precision, and control. As children grasp scissors, guide a pencil across paper, or fit tiny puzzle pieces together, they’re preparing for writing. These tasks strengthen the neural foundations for focus, planning, problem-solving, and the fine control needed for early literacy to take hold.
“We learn by doing – good teachers ensure we learn the right skills in the right order. ”
New Zealand’s ERO report on literacy practices in early childhood services highlights how these kinds of intentional fine motor experiences directly support children’s early confidence and early engagement with learning. In other words: the better prepared a child’s hands are, the better prepared their brain is to take on writing, reading, and focused school learning.
Teachers know that small movements build big brain power—laying the groundwork for literacy and all the focused learning that follows.
Teaching shapes what matters most.