Eurobodalla parents have been warned to drag their preschoolers off the computer to ensure they develop the fine motor skills they need to hold a pencil at school.

Sydney teacher and consultant Sonja Walker has issued a statewide warning to parents to monitor the time children spend tied to technology.

She cited “an increasing decline in handwriting skills, putting children at risk of lagging behind in achieving key developmental and educational milestones”. 

“Computer keyboards and smart phones mean that children are growing up without the strength and stamina to hold a pen for the required period of time to use their imagination to create a story, draw and to express their ideas on paper,” Ms Walker said. 

“I have seen a marked increase in the number of children requiring occupational therapy and fine motor skills support due to a lack of strength and muscle co-ordination in their hands and lower arms as a direct result of the overuse of technology.” 

In Batemans Bay, Mundarra Preschool director Jenny Borthwick said developing fine motor skills early was crucial.

“As an old-fashioned teacher, my pre-school room is more like what my kindergarten was 20 years ago,” Ms Borthwick said. 

“The bar has been raised in kindergarten in terms of what is expected of children.”

That leaves the ball in the court of parents, preschools and day-care centres. 

“They need opportunities and encouragement to acquire and practise manipulative skills,” Ms Borthwick said. In other words, good old fashioned fun: drawing, painting, beadwork, craft, cutting, etc.

“Coordination develops with the integration of sensory and motor skills as small muscles develop,” Ms Borthwick said. 

“Eye–hand coordination develops as children play with jigsaw puzzles, draw, paint using a variety of tools, cut ,tear/shred paper, build sand castles, use construction sets and blocks.

“The list is endless.  These activities are important, as fine motor control of small muscles is necessary before children are ready to learn to read or write.”

At least one NSW school has launched a fine motor skills program to help students develop the control to hold a pencil.

Lora Cipriani, assistant principal at Drummoyne Public School, said she had noticed that many of her new intake kindergarten children were having difficulty picking up small objects and using a pincer grip to hold a pencil.

“They are so used to doing everything with one finger, they simply haven’t learned the fine motor skills necessary to help them learn to write,” Ms Cipriani said. 

“Technology has a part to play in our lives and in our children’s learning but I urge all parents to consider the amount of time their children spend using computers and other gadgets,” said Ms Walker. 

Research shows that children’s exposure to technology is increasing at an alarming rate.  According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 40 per cent of children aged 5 fo14 watch more than 20 hours of television a fortnight – ten hours a week. 

“This figure does not include time in front of a computer game, I-phone, tablet, laptop or other device and so the actual number of hours children spend in front of a screen is in reality, much higher,” says Ms Walker, a fact she says is “alarming.”