activities for develop the fine motricity

Activities To Improve Fine Motor Skills

The following are suggestions of activities you can do with your child to develop fine motor skills. They are aimed at 3-5 year olds, but since this is a wide range, you should adapt them according to your child's proficiency.

1. Manipulation activities:

1.1 Manipulating playdough: rolling it into small balls, long rolls etc. (Playdough Recipe)

1.2 Tearing paper into fine strips – use them for collage or crumple them into balls.

1.3 Screwing up whole pieces of newspaper in one hand at a time to develop strength.

1.4 Threading beads or macaroni onto string.

1.5 Lacing activities.

1.6 Cutting out with scissors, using the correct grip.

1.7 Manipulating clothes pegs to pick up small objects.

1.8 Performing fingerplays.

1.9 Preschool Sewing Activities are an excellent way to develop fine motor skills.

2. Sensory activities

2.1 Finger painting or manipulating other liquids with the fingers and hands e.g. slushy mud, tomato sauce (ketchup) on a plate

2.2 Picking up small objects with the fingers, like pegboard pegs, rice grains etc.

3. Activities to develop stability

3.1 Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking, hanging on playground apparatus to develop strength of the upper body.

3.2 Working on a vertical surface such as a blackboard or easel which requires the wrist to be bent back is good for developing fine motor skills.

An upright surface encourages a stable wrist position to develop good thumb movements, strengthen fine motor muscles and encourages the use of both the arm and shoulder muscles.

If you don’t have a blackboard or easel, tape some newsprint to the wall and have your child draw and scribble on that.

Let her draw large circles, using each hand respectively. Let her draw lines right across the sheet from top to bottom, diagonally and horizontally in both directions, using each hand respectively. 

More fine motor skill activities:

Rolling play dough into tiny balls using the palms of the hands facing each other and using only the finger tips.

Cut out shapes from cardboard (circle, square, etc.) and let your child trace them. Using toothpicks to make designs in play dough.

Give your preschooler pair of tweezers. Provide two bowls with small items. Challenge them to get all the items from one bowl to another using only the tweezers. Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls. Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads. Using eye droppers to "pick up" water. Play with Legos, miniature cars, small blocks, action figures, and other small toys. Working puzzles Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs. Scissor activities Gross motor activities: Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking. Clapping games Connect the dots activities Trace around stencils Work on a chalkboard Paint at an easel Make crafts using scissors and gluing Finger painting Tying bows or tying shoes