• Fine Motor Development:  Hand & Wrist Strengthening Skills
     
    Below is a list of various activities and exercises which your child can perform to improve such skills as fine motor coordination and strengthening.  These are just a variety of ideas that may help your child.  Have fun!
     
    • Dot-to-Dot
    • Stencils/Tracers
    • Spirograph
    • Learn to draw books-Using shapes to draw
    • Play Doh
    • Paint/Color by numbers
    • Scissors activities
    • Origami
    • Colorforms
    • Construction Kits
    • Legos & other building materials
    • Magnadoodle/Etch-A-Sketch
    • Sidewalk chalk
    • Keyboard activities
    • Pick up Sticks
    • Lacing cards
    • Woodworking play toys:  hammer, screwdriver, etc
    • Coloring, drawing, tracing
    • Use Soft balls/Stress balls
    • Work on easel or slant board
    • Work drawing on belly
    • Sky writing/drawing
    • Use short pencils, crayons, chalk
    • Encourage child to color hard or soft and to notice a difference
    • Tearing & crumbling tissue paper
    • Finger touching: touch each finger to thumb
    • Trace lines & shapes
    • Use water color paint brush to write or draw
    • Bingo/Dot markers to trace numbers letters or fill in coloring book
    • Puzzles, card games
    • Shaving cream, Sand, & Rice:  Imitate letters, shapes, numbers
    • Coin translation:  Bring coin from pal to finger tips using only finger tips
    • Line up 10-20 coins:  Using fingertips to turn over as quickly as possible
    • Clothespins:  Open & Close to grasp and pass things (like pom poms)
    • Use tweezers to pick up small objects like cotton balls, foamies, buttons
    • Water toys/Squeeze sponge out
    • Eye dropper:  Drop specific amounts of water out of an eye dropper
    • Manipulate small objects in games like:  Jenga, Operation, Marbles, Ants in Pants
    • Finger Play/Puppets
    • Open/Close variety of containers
    • Baking:  recipes that require kneading, mixing, etc.
    • Use rolling pin to flatten clay, play doh, putty, crackers, etc.  Use palms on pin instead of hold handles
    • Play tug of war with small hard to grip items like: coffee stirrers, laces, etc.
    • Donkey Kicks:  Kick feet up while placing weight on palms
    Feel free to ask questions or comment about your experiences!  Most of all...Have fun!
     
    Sincerely,
     
    The Kindergarten Teachers
Last Modified on June 14, 2011