Fine Motor Development

Fine Motor Development: Hand & Wrist Strengthening Skills

Below is a list of various activities and exercises which your child can perform to improve such skills as fine motor coordination and strengthening. These are just a variety of ideas that may help your child. Have fun!

· Dot-to-Dot

· Stencils/Tracers

· Spirograph

· Learn to draw books-Using shapes to draw

· Play Doh

· Paint/Color by numbers

· Scissors activities

· Origami

· Colorforms

· Construction Kits

· Legos & other building materials

· Magnadoodle/Etch-A-Sketch

· Sidewalk chalk

· Keyboard activities

· Pick up Sticks

· Lacing cards

· Woodworking play toys: hammer, screwdriver, etc

· Coloring, drawing, tracing

· Use Soft balls/Stress balls

· Work on easel or slant board

· Work drawing on belly

· Sky writing/drawing

· Use short pencils, crayons, chalk

· Encourage child to color hard or soft and to notice a difference

· Tearing & crumbling tissue paper

· Finger touching: touch each finger to thumb

· Trace lines & shapes

· Use water color paint brush to write or drawBingo/Dot markers to trace numbers letters or fill in coloring book

· Puzzles, card games

· Shaving cream, Sand, & Rice: Imitate letters, shapes, numbers

· Coin translation: Bring coin from pal to finger tips using only finger tips

· Line up 10-20 coins: Using fingertips to turn over as quickly as possible

· Clothespins: Open & Close to grasp and pass things (like pom poms)

· Use tweezers to pick up small objects like cotton balls, foamies, buttons

· Water toys/Squeeze sponge out

· Eye dropper: Drop specific amounts of water out of an eye dropper

· Manipulate small objects in games like: Jenga, Operation, Marbles, Ants in Pants

· Finger Play/Puppets

· Open/Close variety of containers

· Baking: recipes that require kneading, mixing, etc.

· Use rolling pin to flatten clay, play doh, putty, crackers, etc. Use palms on pin instead of hold handles

· Play tug of war with small hard to grip items like: coffee stirrers, laces, etc.

· Donkey Kicks: Kick feet up while placing weight on palms

Feel free to ask questions or comment about your experiences! Most of all...Have fun!

Sincerely,

Ms. Major