How to Teach Series Part #3

Fine Motor Skills

I had planned on doing both Fine and Gross Motor Skills but since there is so much to cover for both I'm going to keep them separate.

These are just basic ideas to cover Fine Motor Skills. I may include some pictures that are linked to amazon as I think they would be a great help for some of the skills.

• Drawing , Coloring and Painting

 

• Cutting Play-dough with safety scissors. This will help build the muscles in their hands for using regular scissors.

 

• Folding Paper- Hand your child a piece of paper and teach them how to fold it. Challenge them to fold it as small as they can.

 

• Tearing Paper- I always do this activity for when we plan on doing a collage. I hand them the colored construction paper we need and let them go to town tearing it apart!

 

• Tying Shoes- This Melissa and Doug Wooden Shoe would be perfect for a child to practice on.

•  Zipping and Unzipping- I think this board would be great for on a Tot Tray or in a Work Box. For open end play and helping build skills.

• Buttoning and Unbuttoning- This buttoning board is perfect for small hands as the buttons are quite big, It is great for building fine motor skills and they will also learn how to dress themselves if their clothing has buttons.

Another great item that would cover all of the zipping and buttoning and a few other fine motor skills would be this Melissa and Dough basic skills board.

• Latching and Unlatching- Great for working those little hands

• Picking up small objects. Work with your child and let them do beading be sure to stay right there with them as beads are a choking hazard. But beading is a great fine motor skill.

 

• Screwing and Unscrewing Lids- Let your child work with an empty water bottle. Let them practice taking the lid off and on.

• Reading Books but allow them to turn the pages. It helps build their hand muscles.

 

• Using Utensils- From eating and also letting them use them for school. They can spoon pom poms from one bowl to another. Spoon Ice from a bowl of water to another empty bowl. The options are endless!

 Those are the main Fine Motor Skills I focus on with my boys.

Next week I will be back with things to do to improve Gross Motor Skills!