Activity Guide

5 Activities That Develop Fine Motor Skills In Children

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jul 14, 2015

Doing activities which require the use of fine motor skills such as taking a pinch of salt, squeezing dough and sewing are all helpful in making a kid more aware of their sense of touch as well as improving their hand-eye coordination.

Activities that require fine motor skills are as such:

• tying shoes
• zipping and unzipping
• buckling and unbuckling
• writing clearly without significant muscle fatigue
• drawing, painting, and coloring
• manipulating buttons and snaps
• putting small objects together
• using scissors
• picking up and holding onto small objects
• developing and maintaining an effective and proper pencil grip
• pinching objects between fingers
• using locks and keys
• turning things over or turning pages of a book
• holding and using utensils properly.

Here are some simple DIY activities which can be done together with your kid to improve their fine motor skills:

1. Putting Clothes Pegs on A Box/ Container

For added fun, put matching numbers or colours on the box and the clothes pegs. Then, let your child match the colours and numbers while placing the clothes pegs accurately.

2. Using Nuts and Bolts

Purchase large nuts and bolts from the hardware store. Your kid will be using both their hands to coordinate twisting and turning the nuts and bolts.

3. Lacing Cards

For this activity, all you need is a thick piece of string, a hole puncher and some card paper. Make holes along the card. Then, allow your child to string through the holes. Be creative and make animal shapes from the card paper so that your kids will be excited to do the task.

4. Stringing Cut Straws

Allow your child to cut straws into small, 1 inch pieces. Then, tie some yarn to a plastic needle and knot the end. Your child will be stringing the straw pieces onto the yarn.

5. Gluing Beans on Paper

Draw a simple picture on a piece of paper. Give your child a bowl of beans and let them glue it onto the picture. This activity helps children to learn to grasp tiny objects using their fingers.

*Note of Caution: ALWAYS be present when your child is carrying out an activity to avoid any accidents.