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We know how important it is for children to build their fine motor skills. Here are 8 fun ideas for activities that can help them to develop these skills.
Play-dough has been a childhood favorite for decades. Not only is it downright fun, but handling play-dough also develops some important skills. Squeezing and stretching it helps strengthen finger muscles, and touching it is a valuable sensory experience.
Using finger paint can strengthen your child’s hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. All you need is an easel or a thick piece of paper, some finger paints and a space—like the yard or garage—where your child can get messy.
Set up two separate bowls, one filled with water and the other empty. Give your child a sponge and have her soak it in one bowl. Then have her squeeze the water out of the sponge into the other bowl. She can transfer water back and forth between bowls, too. This simple game can strengthen hands and forearms. It’s especially fun if you throw in some bubbles or some food dye
Difficulties with fine motor skills can make it tough to grip a pencil. Coloring with small, broken crayons encourages your child to hold the crayon correctly—between her thumb and forefinger. Small pieces of chalk and the pencils used on mini-golf courses work well, too. No matter what you use, this activity a fun way to challenge your child.
Paper dolls have been around for generations, and kids still love them. By cutting and folding tabs, your child can strengthen important hand muscles. Start by cutting out larger dolls and outfits, and move to smaller pieces over time. Paper dolls can appeal to boys as well as girls—just look for characters that interest your child.
Another low-tech activity that can provide hours of fun is string games. String games help improve finger strength and hand-eye coordination. All you need is some yarn and a little time to teach your child.
Stringing together necklaces is a great way for your child to be creative while working on her hand-eye coordination and developing her ability to manipulate objects. To start, give her thick string and big beads or large pieces of dry pasta. Over time, she can work on more complex designs using smaller pieces.