How to Develop Fine Motor Skills in Children

A child needs to learn how to use his or her hands at an early age to develop fine motor skills.

A person's fine motor skills are the coordination between the movements of the small muscles most commonly in the hands or fingers and the eyes. Fine motor skills govern our ability to do many of life's daily tasks such as shoe-tying, holding a writing utensil, using locks and keys, and so on. Tasks such as these are performed frequently in our everyday lives, and that is why it is important that we learn to master our fine motor skills, a process that begins during childhood. Luckily, there are several fun activities that can be used to help a child develop his fine motor skills.

Things You'll Need

• Play-Doh or Silly Putty
• Macaroni
• String
• Scissors
• Paper
• Clothes pins
• Finger paint
• Easel

Instructions

1. Hide small objects, such as coins or googly eyes, in a child-safe modeling clay, like Play-Doh or Silly Putty. Have the child pull apart the clay and find all of the hidden objects. Make sure you count how many objects you hide so that you can keep track of your child's progress.

2. Give your child a wad of Play-Doh and have her construct different shapes out of it. For example, have her roll a few balls with the clay or make long logs from it.

3. Have your child thread a piece of string through pieces of dry macaroni or penne pasta, perhaps to make a necklace.

4. Draw shapes on a piece of paper with your child and then have her cut them out with scissors. Make sure that your child has a proper hold on the scissors as she is cutting the paper.

5. Lay out several small objects on a flat surface and give your child a clothes pin. Have him use the clothes pin like a pair of fingers to pick the objects up and put them in a basket.

6. Have your child create finger paintings on paper using a vertically angled easel. This angle is good for developing fine motor skills because it requires the child to use their hands with the wrist bent slightly back.

Tips & Warnings

• Never allow a child to use scissors or handle small objects without adult supervision.

References

• Shirley's Preschool Activities: Activities for Fine Motor Skills
• Sensory Processing Disorder: Fine Motor Skills Activities For Children