Home Work Ideas for Fine Motor Skills
Here are some Fine Motor Activities that you and your child may enjoy sharing. These will all increase fine motor skills. These are activities we enjoy at school that are also great for home:
*Modeling clay or playdoh. Creat things by kneading, rolling, squeezing, pinching, pounding, flattening, stretching. (Use these words to increase vocabulary as well!). If your child is hesitant, try hiding small objects in the class for your child to find as s/he manipulates the clay.
*Cutting activities with a variety of media. Newspaper strips are always easy; just requiring a ‘snip’ to cut away a piece. Try whole sheets of newspaper, construction paper, pages torn from magazines, wrapping paper scraps, yarn, greeting cards.
*Pasting and gluing a variety of media such as paper, material, glitter, buttons, magazine pictures, wrapping paper, tissue paper, cellophane, foil, yarn, cotton balls. Use glue sticks or white glue, which requires some squeezing.
*Fingerpainting on a cookie sheet with pudding, shaving cream, jam. Paint with a brush and water in the summer—using sidewalks and walls as the canvas!
*Spreading jam, margarine, cream cheese on crackers, pita, bagels, using a plastic knife.
*Folding washcloths, small baby blankets, towels, pillowcases. They won’t be perfect, but appreciate the effort and skills your child is gaining!
*Use measuring spoons of different sizes to put objects from one container into another (rice, salt, water, dirt, pebbles, dried beans, etc.)
*Use tongs to pick up small items in a bowl and place in another bowl.
*Create an ‘art box’ with a paper punch and tape included. These are motivating objects that encourage fine motor work!
*Use paper to fold, crumple.
*Give your child envelopes and small slips of paper to place inside.
*Give your child plastic cups in the tub to practice pouring skills.
*Provide coins, colored buttons and ask your child to sort them for you.
*We have used fuse beads and patterns with great success! They are now recommended by the O.T. that works with our children. You can find these at any craft store. Children love them and they also assist in increasing attention spans!
*Modeling clay or playdoh. Creat things by kneading, rolling, squeezing, pinching, pounding, flattening, stretching. (Use these words to increase vocabulary as well!). If your child is hesitant, try hiding small objects in the class for your child to find as s/he manipulates the clay.
*Cutting activities with a variety of media. Newspaper strips are always easy; just requiring a ‘snip’ to cut away a piece. Try whole sheets of newspaper, construction paper, pages torn from magazines, wrapping paper scraps, yarn, greeting cards.
*Pasting and gluing a variety of media such as paper, material, glitter, buttons, magazine pictures, wrapping paper, tissue paper, cellophane, foil, yarn, cotton balls. Use glue sticks or white glue, which requires some squeezing.
*Fingerpainting on a cookie sheet with pudding, shaving cream, jam. Paint with a brush and water in the summer—using sidewalks and walls as the canvas!
*Spreading jam, margarine, cream cheese on crackers, pita, bagels, using a plastic knife.
*Folding washcloths, small baby blankets, towels, pillowcases. They won’t be perfect, but appreciate the effort and skills your child is gaining!
*Use measuring spoons of different sizes to put objects from one container into another (rice, salt, water, dirt, pebbles, dried beans, etc.)
*Use tongs to pick up small items in a bowl and place in another bowl.
*Create an ‘art box’ with a paper punch and tape included. These are motivating objects that encourage fine motor work!
*Use paper to fold, crumple.
*Give your child envelopes and small slips of paper to place inside.
*Give your child plastic cups in the tub to practice pouring skills.
*Provide coins, colored buttons and ask your child to sort them for you.
*We have used fuse beads and patterns with great success! They are now recommended by the O.T. that works with our children. You can find these at any craft store. Children love them and they also assist in increasing attention spans!
