Day 21: Fine Motor Play

Fine motor skills are skills that involve small muscles and usually refer to manipulating objects with the fingers and hands.  Building strong fine motor skills in children is important so that they can independently do lots of skills like tying shoes, buttoning clothes, pouring drinks, writing, and drawing. 

Practicing fine motor skills can be fun!

• Bust out the playdough!
• Sensory boxes of any type
• Make art using markers, crayons, glue, glitter, scissors, paper, paint (with fingers or brushes), etc. 
• Have them help dress themselves by putting on and taking off shoes, buttoning buttons, pulling on zippers, putting on hats, socks, etc.
• Blocks!  Yet again blocks have shown up as a great way to build skills.
• Stringing beads and lacing cards
• Books, especially the touch and feel ones!
• Dressing and undressing dolls
• Puzzles of all shapes and sizes
• Pop bubble wrap…because who doesn’t love that!?

There are SO MANY activities for fine motor skills, but here are a few I’ve done and others that I just love!

Pom Pom Sorting by Heaps of Laundry

Muffin Tin Treasure Hunt

Pipe Cleaner Drop

Ice Painting from Therapy Fun

Busy boxes from Play at Home Mom (lots of cool fine motor filled boxes for kiddos)

Mixing colors with eye droppers on light box from Play at Home Mom

Activity #21: Playdough…the best stuff ever!

It’s time to bring out the playdough!  This stuff is great for any age and is wonderful for fine motor development.  Either go buy some at the store, or use one of these recipes below to make it at home.

• This is the recipe I use and I love it!
• Recipes for holiday scented playdough
• No Cook Winter Playdough
• Go here for an entire website about playdough recipes everything from coffee playdough to pumpkin pie playdough…kid you not!

Here’s a blog post from Fairy Dust Teaching all about the developmental stages of playdough…just for fun.

Tomorrow: Arts vs. Crafts…let the battle begin!