Fine Motor Writing Activities
Fine motor skills are those developed with the fingers. Beginning at birth, children start to develop these skills by grabbing toys, self-feeding and eventually writing the alphabet, letters to friends and family, and creative stories. Encourage creativity and imagination when devising activities to develop fine motor skills to allow for a greater interest in often tedious practices.
Other People Are Reading
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Pen-Pal Letters
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Pair the child with a pen-pal from another country or another neighborhood and practice writing letters to each other. Letter-writing is a method to develop fine motor skills while practicing handwriting technique. Include hand-drawn pictures and creative stories written by the child as added fine motor skill activities.
Shaving Cream Spelling
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Spray a small mound of shaving cream onto the child's work surface and encourage him to play with his fingers. Practice writing letters, numbers and sight words that the child is already familiar with to give her a feeling of immediate achievement. Shaving cream is a concentrated cleansing agent, so please use caution in the amount given, as it may take a couple of tries to wipe it off.
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Extra Extra, Read All About It!
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Enhance your child's fine motor skills through the design and creation of the front page of a newspaper. The articles and pictures may include recent family trips, school progress for the child and extra-curricular activities that the child is interested in. Copy the newspaper and send it to friends and family as a way to keep loved ones informed.
Chalk It Up
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Fine motor skills are not only developed through writing in a horizontal position, but also in a vertical direction. Use a dry erase board, chalk board or easel with paper for a writing activity. Children will heighten their skills while playing teacher or by playing simple games like Hangman.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Young child learning to write her name image by levo from Fotolia.com
