Practical, Fun Activities for Improving Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor manipulation is the use and coordination of muscles, bones, and nerves to produce small, precise movements within the hand. Fine motor skills work in conjunction with awareness, planning, coordination, and muscle strength. Children develop fine motor skills over time by practicing and being taught as early 1-2 months and will continue to rapidly build these skills between 7-12 months (radial digital grasp to pincer grasp). It is not until a child’s second year do these basic grasps continue to be refined and used to assist in general play with others and toys. If a child is unable to play appropriately with age appropriate toys, please speak to your pediatrician.  Depending on the age of the child, here are some fine motor activities to perform at home to improve fine motor skills:

Toddlers – 18-24 months: TIP: Children at this age continue to explore their environment using their mouths. Do not give a child any toys which may cause them to suffocate or choke.

• Play-Doh
• Complete 4-5 piece puzzles
• Build towers – up to 4 blocks
• Hold crayon in fingertips
• String objects (large to medium size beads)
• Pretend play using tools (ex. Hammer)
• Push toy shopping cart
• Spray nozzle on small garden hose or bottle

Preschoolers: 24-36 months

• Snip with scissors – this can be on Play-Doh, thick paper, or cardboard to develop good hand strength
• Use rolling pin to flatten cookie dough/ Play-Doh
• Replicate simple forms including cross and circle
• Build towers – up to 10
• Complete puzzles more than 4-5 pieces
• Play with water and sand
• Brush family dog
• Use bingo markers
• Paint – paint using fingers and small brushes and add textures to paint including sand

Preschoolers: 3-4 years – when drawing shapes and letters, perform tasks on a vertical surface (wall, easel) at eye level. This will assist in wrist extension for proper tripod grasp and strengthen the shoulder girdle to decrease fatigue when performing fine motor tasks.

• Begin to emerge with tripod/quadruped grasp
• Encourage coloring within lines in simple coloring books
• Provide simple shapes and letters to copy
• Use scissors to cut simple shapes and lines
• Construct 3 dimensional design (ex. Bridges, walls, trains, etc.)
• Color pictures taped over sandpaper
• Perform lacing boards. You can create your own lacing board using a paper plate with holes punched out and thick ribbon/yarn/ shoe lace.

Preschoolers: 4-5 years

• Complete puzzles more than 10 pieces
• String small beads
• Use various types of tweezers and tongs to pick up small objects and place into containers
• Use hole punches on paper
• Play with clothespins

These are some simple activities you can do with your child at home to improve fine motor coordination. If you think your child may be falling behind with fine motor skills when compared to same age friends, talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. You can also contact Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas at 972-424-0148 to talk with someone about your concerns or to schedule an individualized occupational therapy evaluation. An evaluation will help you understand your child’s strengths and challenges. If your child qualifies for occupational therapy based on assessment results, a licensed pediatric occupational therapists will provide a detailed treatment plan. Pediatric occupational therapists are available in both Plano and Frisco Clinics.