How to Improve Fine Motor Skills
In general, activities to improve fine motor skills involve doing focused tasks with your fingers. The best method of improving fine motor skills varies depending on exactly where someone's fine motor weakness lies as well as his age.
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Instructions
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Have your child evaluated by an occupational therapist who will recommend tasks based on her specific needs.
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Work with beads; have the child place beads through a string, line beads up in a row, stack beads or even glue beads onto paper. Use larger beads for younger children and small beads for older children.
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Glue objects onto paper. Gluing can be an especially good task if the child needs to glue things onto a specific location; for example, have the child glue a picture onto the same picture on a piece paper. You can use stickers instead of glue; lifting the stickers up from the backing also works the fingers.
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Cut paper or other things using scissors. By using scissors correctly, children learn to use their fingers properly.
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Build with small blocks. Building and playing with small blocks of all types is good for developing fine motor skills. Have children build, stack and sort small blocks and building toys.
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Open and close bottles, jars and other containers. Have the child practice manipulating the lids of bottles, jars and other containers. Use different types of bottles and jars to work your child's hands in different ways.
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Prepare activities during which your child has to squeeze bottles; for example, you can have your child squeeze the soap and shampoo by themselves in the bathtub. This will strengthen their fingers and hands.
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Pick up small grains. Have the child work with small grains such as rice, popcorn kernels, beans or split peas. Children can glue these onto paper and make decorative pictures or count and sort them.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure to supervise children if they are using adult tools or are working with small pieces such as beads or grains
Talk to an occupational therapist about what type of activity is best for your child
References
- Photo Credit Phil Ashley/Lifesize/Getty Images
