We all know the importance of working on fine motor skills, physician particularly with our children that struggle just a bit. It’s always more fun to work on something when it feels like play and not like work! Here are 5 very simple {and inexpensive!} fine motor activities that your child will enjoy and will help build up those important skills.
1. Beading Activities – there are a myriad of activities to do with beads. Small pony beads on a pipe cleaner, advice larger block type beads with a shoe lace, the list is just about endless. A quick trip to the dollar store can be a great time to stock up on beading supplies.
2. Using Tongs – also a sorting activity, all of my kids have loved sorting the colored bears into a muffin tin pan using tongs. Tongs could be used to pick up just about anything from blocks to silkies. Gear to what your child is interested in and the activity can change all the time.
3. Play with your Food – use chopsticks! These cute chopsticks that are attached at the top make it very easy to get started. Start with chunkier types of food and then gradually progress to smaller or more slippery types of foods. Then as your child gets older he can progress into using real chopsticks.
4. Cutting Activities – set a stack of scrap paper and some appropriate scissors in front of your child and let them have at it. Not only is cutting good for building up hand muscles, but excellent for hand-eye coordination. There have even been some studies that show that encouraging your child to use scissors can help them with their reading.
5. Medicine Dropper – a medicine dropper can be a fun way to encourage fine motor skills, what child doesn’t like to play with water? You can use colored water on a coffee filter, plain water outside on the sidewalk or deck, water with bubbles, etc.
Another helpful tool is The “Claw” – this pencil grip has been a wonderful addition to our tool kit and has helped our daughter get a feel for the grip she should be using.
I love that these activities are so simple and easy to add to our day, and yet they produce great results. What is your favorite fine motor activity?
Jen is a wife to one amazing husband and mom to six energetic kids. Visit Forever, For Always, No Matter What where she blogs about their Catholic faith, homeschooling and adoption.
The Claw looks to me like the best thing since sliced bread! But I can’t seem to get the links on the website to take me where I need to go to buy. Wonder if I can get some locally…
Try clicking on the link and then going to “Stores that Sell the Claw” at the top. It gives some places to order the Claw! It really works wonders.
amazing! Can I pin it on Pinterest?
Great ideas!! And doable- I love that.
Cutting is always a fun one with littles. Sometimes, to get them started, I would just cut paper into strips and then have them cut straight through it to make little squares. Then those squares can be used to make a collage by gluing them to a paper plate (or whatever you choose). For extra “fine motor skill” practice, I pour out the glue in a cap and have the child dip a q-tip in it and dot the plate with it (placing the squares on the glue dots).
Also, when cutting, I tell them “keep the scissors straight and turn the paper”. I usually have to *show* them because it is tough for them understand.
I love those chopsticks! So cute.
We have those chopsticks, too! The Easter bunny brought them the first Easter we had Stan home from Korea. And I never thought about medicine dropper!! Great idea there!!