Tips For Fine Motor Skills
Fine Motor Activities
* Playing with play dough
*coloring
*Cooking Activities
*Blocks
* Writing
* Tracing
* Cutting
*Puzzles
*Lacing games
*Painting
*Rolling play dough into tiny balls (peas) using only the finger tips.
*Using pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough.
*Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls; art activities.
*Picking up objects using large tweezers such as those found in the "Bedbugs" game. This can be adapted by picking up Cheerios, small cubes, small marshmallows, pennies, etc., in counting games.
*Shaking dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms.
*Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios, macaroni, etc.
*Using eye droppers to "pick up" colored water for color mixing or to make artistic designs on paper.
*Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, and then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs.
*Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.
*Making pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.
*Playing games with the "puppet fingers" -the thumb, index, and middle fingers.
The following ideas are from:
http://www.hummingbirded.com/fine_large_motor.html#fine
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
1) Pick up and sort objects such as blocks, spools, coins, beans,
marbles, cotton balls, pins, buttons, straws, nails, nuts, bolts,
popcorn, etc.. and place them into containers of varying sizes (i.e.
Egg cartons, cups, mugs, jars, etc.)
2)
Pick up objects (blocks, cotton balls, counters, etc.) using
various sized tongs and strawberry pickers, transferring them between
containers
3) Stack objects (i.e. coins, cards, checkers, blocks, etc.)
4) Screw and unscrew objects such as nuts and bolts, caps from jars
5) String beads onto a shoelace
6) Run a threaded needle through cloth
7) Fasten safety pins
8)
Cut straight and curved lines/shapes drawn on paper, cloth, etc.,
with scissors
9) Play the piano
10) Type
11) Crumple paper in a small ball and then flick it with the finger
(play "soccer" with the paper ball)
12) Shuffle cards, deal cards one by one, turn cards over
13) Roll a pencil between thumb and fingers without dropping it
14) Knead dough
15) Stick small objects into play dough for him/her to pull out
16) Wind thread on a spool evenly
17) Put rubber bands around various size containers and objects
18) Use tweezers to pick up small objects
19) Move spoonfuls of small objects from one bowl to another
20) Do up buttons, zippers, hooks, etc.
21) Tie shoelaces
22) Cut finger and toenails with clippers
23) Trace and copy letters
24) Do connect the dot puzzles
25) Solve mazes
26) Manually sharpen pencils
27) Use a manual can opener
28) Tie a box with string or ribbon
29) Put keys into locks to open doors
30) Put paper clips onto paper
31) Use a stapler
32) Remove staples with a staple remover
33) Place clothespins on the edge of a box or container
34) Dial a telephone
35) Set a watch or clock
36) Pick up or move marbles (or nuts in shells) using a melon baller.
This could be made into a game - i.e. take turns rolling a die.
Whatever number turns up, pick up that number of "marbles" and place
them into an egg carton.
37) Use Wikki Stix to form shapes, letters, numbers, and other
designs. You may want to use a template.
38) Color using the flat side of a crayon. Put paper over leaves,
stencils, and other objects so that the child gets sensory feedback
as he colors.
39) Make a matching game (pictures, letters, etc.) using a coffee can
and clothespins. Have the child put the clothespins on the rim of the
can.
40) Use sprayer bottles filled with water and sponges to have the
child "clean" a desk or table, then squeeze the excess water into a
dishpan. This is a great pre-scissor skill activity.
41) Lace various sized beads. Any activity involving the use of both
hands is good to develop bilateral integration.
42) Oriental Trading Company has some cute manipulatives, like small
locks with keys and slimy putty for poking and rolling. You could
have a cutting center. Give the student a magazine and let him cut
out the pictures he likes to make a poster. Glue on pictures and
later let him tell why he chose those pictures.
43) A fun activity with young toddlers is to fill a sensory
table/bucket with colored pompoms and provide small tongs and
strawberry baskets (or another basket/bucket) for the children to
fill their baskets.
44) Also using tweezers to pickup different items. kind of like
sorting maybe in egg cartons or something else.
45) Older children may practice strengthening their
fingers for cutting by using a rubber band to just stretch, release,
stretch, release, etc.
46) Play dough play with young children with the terms: poke,
squeeze, pound, press, knead, etc. is always good for language too.