Here are a few simple activities with help strengthening fine motor skills.
Children develop their fine motor skills every day, and the wonderful part is they enjoy any activity that involves fine motor skills practice. There are lots of everyday activities that help develop fine motor sills like: puzzles and shape sorters, stacking objects, drawing, using scissors, building blocks, stringing bead or pasta and playdough.
What are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are the capability to make movements using their small muscles in their hands and wrists. By using these muscles regularly and developing these skills this helps children across all areas of learning.
There is a misunderstanding that it takes a lot of planning to develop our children’s learning opportunity, but not always. This activity is cost efficient and has a great learning outcome.
Colander straw threading is an activity you can create at home with your child using items at home.
All you need for this activity
- A Colander
- A box of straws (different sizes if possible)
Activity
All your child needs to do is take the straws and one by one post them into the holes of the colander. You may want to show them first what they need to do. This simple activity with help strengthening fine motor skills.
Other ways you can promote fine motor skills can be using feathers, ribbon, pipe cleaners instead of straws. You could even play dough instead of a colander to post the straws into:
Here is a play dough recipe you can use from contents in your kitchen
- 1 cup of flour
- ½ cup of salt
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 jug of water
- Food colouring
All you need to do is mix all the contents together one by one. You may need to add more water accordingly. Always remember to sprinkle a bit of flour onto the work surface when you start to kneed the mixture together.
