Fine Motor Skills

 What is Fine Motor Skills?

 

Think of it as strength building for your hands.  Normal development demands that children are able to accurately and effectively use the intrinsic muscles of their hands.  These muscles will be used for the rest of their lives and are for everyday essential and functional activities.  So much this strength building is overlooked in thinking that this is a normal process and does not need to be exercised. 

 

Fine Motor Skills help in holding and using writing tools like pencils and crayons.  Holding and cutting with scissors.  Tying shoes, fastening buttons and zipping zippers. 

 

Many time when a child starts kindergarten, this skill is overlooked.  Kindergarten is so fast paced now a days that students are required to have these skills mastered.  Teachers may have a hard time finding time in the day to focus on these skills.  Incorporating these skills into centers (rather fun or work) can be essential in helping students. 

 

Activities for Fine Motor Skills

 

 

Beading/Stringing

Start with larger beads and work down to smaller beads.  Use any stringing material you may have such as yarn, twine or thread for the child to bead with.  Yarn works better for little hands since it is larger to hold.  *Tip* put a piece of tape on the ends of the yarn to help with fraying and for the bead to get on easier.  Themed activity: you can use for unit of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or during learning the alphabet.  You will need alphabet beads (buy, have donated or make).  Have the students string their name on the yarn (either to keep as a necklace or not). 

I will post another blog on making the alphabet beads so make sure you are subscribed to my blog or check back from time to time.

 

  Lacing or Threading

 

Lacing cards are a great activity for work or play centers.  You can incorporate them into your theme.  Rather they have to complete one or five cards this activity  really builds those muscles. 

The top picture shows a lid to an old Parmesan cheese bottle.  If you do not have the shapes you want for the lacing cards you can make them very simple. All you need are some foam pieces, a die cut machine, a hole puncher and some yarn.  Die cut the foam into the shape you want and then hole punch around it.  Turn your foam into alphabet foam pieces for letter recognition as well as a fine motor skill activity.

 

 

Cutting with Scissors

 

This is probably one of the hardest for small hands to learn.  It is also one of the activities that are becoming obsolete.  We have so much technology that cutting is just one of those things that we put aside.  It is a very important skill though to have.  Taking the time to teach a child/student how to hold and use a pair of scissors is an important lesson.  Just like anything else, this requires practice.  Just cutting strips of paper can be a center.  Many projects require small pieces of tissue paper, so just if they are cutting tissue paper this can be used for future craft projects.  Check out the worksheet below that you can copy to help your student or child practice cutting lines.

 

 

Writing

 

The most valuable tool that any one person can have.  This task is a essential for everyday use and one that will be used your entire life.  Holding the pencil or crayon correctly is another important lesson in itself to master.  Determining if the child is left or right handed will be helpful in this process.  If you are not left handed or right handed, having a person who knows that hand skill will be a good idea to come and show your student.  Coloring skills is another lesson to be taught.  There were many students who I had in the past who did not know how to color.  Taking that time means a lot.  In early stages of writing and coloring any marks are great.  This is a strength builder working up to writing. 

 

 

	
	I hope you have enjoyed this blog of ideas for fine motor skills.  I would love to hear your ideas as well.  You can share in the comments section.  Thanks!