As babies learn to control their large muscles, they gain the stability needed to begin to develop their fine motor skills. These include coordinated movements of the small muscles in the fingers, along with the eyes. Babies’ natural curiosity leads them to explore things with their hands and eyes, and then to play with toys by manipulating them. Older infants and young toddlers explore things with their mouths, too – so safety with toys is critical at this age. As toddlers grow, they begin to develop the dexterity and coordination to begin to use a fork and spoon, and to scribble or color with crayons and markers.