Child Care Resource: Fine Motor Skills

 

Working on fine motor skills? Here is a list of ideas you might be interested in.

• Dressing and undressing - buttons and zippers, tying shoes, pulling on socks
• Nuts and bolts - screw them together and then screw them apart
• Stickers - peeling and placing them is great fun
• Rubber bands - winding them around and off of pencils or other tools
• Tape - let them peel strips of tape off of a table or fridge
• Eating - small snacks and finger foods are good for tiny fingers
• Play Dough - tons of fun and muscle building
• Tweezers, tongs and clothes pins- pick up materials and place them in or out of containers
• Lego's/K'nex - fun for hours... and years!
• Beading - simple supplies; cereal, buttons, beads, cut straws...anything with a hole in it
• Drawing and writing - tracing, drawing pictures, does not have to be with paper (shaving cream!!)
• Locks - make a board with sliding locks or keys, lock and unlock 
• Puzzles and games - many choices to choose from according to age
• Scissors - find a pair and cut paper, play dough, snacks
• Lacing - give them string or ribbon and lace racks, baskets...whatever

A few minutes here or there helps develop the fine motor skills children need. Make some little kits and keep them handy in the car, kitchen drawer, next to the phone. Any time you need a few minutes to accomplish a grown up task, or a child needs some active sitting time, pull out a kit.

There are so many more options!

Make it fun. Be creative.