Fine motor skills are the building blocks of an unlimited number of childhood skills!! The efficient use of one's hands is necessary for dressing, feeding, written expression and communication, and playing. Enhancing your child's fine motor skills includes strengthening, stretching, and coordinating the movements of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the hands. Practicing these skills can be fun for the whole family! Try some of the following games that develop fine motor skills.
Abbey's Fine Motor Favorites:
- Play with play-dough: “Play-dough Fun Factory” contains great toys to practice fine motor skills (http://www.amazon.com/Play-Doh-Fun-Factory-Deluxe-Set/dp/B000ZZV22U)
- Lacing activities: lace a shoe, make a bracelet, or string cereal for a necklace
- Tearing paper to make pictures: instead of coloring a picture, tear small pieces of colored paper and glue them on
- Watering mom or dad’s garden with a spray bottle
- Play with sidewalk chalk, then use a spray bottle as your eraser
- Building with Legos, Bristle Blocks, or standard blocks
- Cooking activities: knead bread, use a rolling pin, cut with cookie cutters, mix the dough
- Painting: use your fingers or a brush. For increased support, write on a vertical surface. (Writing on a vertical surface provides more support for the upper extremity.)
- Laundry: hanging clothes on hangers is great fine motor and coordination practice
- Board games with tweezers: here are some of my favorites…
- Toy Story 3 Alien Rescue Claw Game By Mattel
- Beware of Dog by University Games
- Bed Bugs by Patch
- Operation by Milton Bradley
- Wok and Roll by iPlay
- Finger soccer: Draw or purchase a board like this one… http://www.christophersgames.com/ccp15019-finger-soccer-fs50400.htm and propel the ball by “flicking” it with your fingers
- Tennis ball mouth: instructions on how to make and play with one can be found here - http://www.school-ot.com/tennis%20ball.html
Powered by Compendium
Comments for Fine Motor Favorites