Fine Motor Skills

color

draw

play with play dough

• roll play dough into balls using the palms of the hands

• roll play dough into tiny balls using the finger tips

• use pegs or toothpicks to make designs in the play dough

• cut play dough with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel

• roll play dough flat and press cookie cutters into play dough

• stick objects small objects into play dough for him/her to pull out

string beads, cheerios, macaroni, etc.

use a hole punch

use a clothespin to pick up things

cut with a scissors

• cut paper

• cut out pictures in magazines

• cut junk mail

• using a scissors, make fringes on the edge of construction paper

• cut straws or shredded paper

• cut strips of paper and create a chain by interlocking the strips

• cut straight and curved lines/shapes

• cut coupons

• loosely tape a large piece of paper to the wall or tabletop - child starts cutting at the bottom of the paper and cuts to the top

tear newspaper into strips and then crumble into balls

scrunch up one sheet of newspaper in one hand

tear construction paper and glue onto a sheet of paper to create a shape or letter

fill a spray bottle with water and spray plants or spray in the bath tub

fill a spray bottle with colored water and spray onto white paper

use a washable marker to make marks on paper, followed by spraying with water to see the colors run or mix

pick up objects (cheerios, small cubes, small marshmallows, macaroni) using large tweezers

shake dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms

use eye droppers to pick up colored water for color mixing or to make artistic designs on paper

roll small balls of tissue paper, followed by gluing them to paper to form pictures or designs

turn over cards, coins, checkers or buttons without bringing them to the edge of the table

make pictures using stickers

stencils

sewing cards

puzzles

pegboards

pick up and sort objects such as blocks, cotton balls, buttons, straws - place them into containers such as an egg carton, cups, jars

stack objects

roll a pencil between thumb and fingers without dropping it

move spoonfuls of small objects from one bowl to another

button shirts

zip coats

tie shoe laces

trace and copy letters

print name

solve mazes

place clothespins on the edge of a box

finger-paint