# data[].attributes.headline
Annie Lee, Anju Takei, Ella Entsuah, Jenny Tran 

# data[].attributes.subject
Annie Lee, Anju Takei, Ella Entsuah, Jenny Tran 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
1. General Play- Encourage the child to engage in rough play indoors or outdoors which involves lots of running, jumping, hopping, skipping, tumbling, rolling, playing on swings, playing on monkey bars, riding a tricycle or bicycle, etc.

2. Organized Play- Some children need to be encouraged to participate in organized activities such as after-school sports, Boys' Club, gymnastics, YMCA, summer camp, or programs offered by the recreation department.

3. Simon Says- Play this game in which the child has to copy the body posture of the leader. This game can be done with weights on the child's arms and legs in order to give him/her more input on his joint movements and positions in space. Right-left discrimination can be incorporated by verbally requesting, for example, that the child lift his left foot. Positions that involve twisting at the waist, crossing over the midline of the body with arms and/or legs, and incorporating symmetrical and asymmetrical positions are recommended.

4. Twister- One method to teach right-left discrimination of body parts is through the game Twister (by Milton Bradley).

5. "Hokey-Pokey"- This game/song teaches the child awareness of right and left body parts.

6. Balance Beam- Encourage the child to walk across a balance beam with good control. Proceed to large steps, small steps, tiptoes, forward, backward, sideways, etc. A home version of the balance beam is a rope lying on the floor, which can be made to have curves and intersections.

7. Ball Play- The following activities could be done with a large ball at first, proceeding to a smaller ball such as a tennis ball or a bean bag. Throw; catch; bounce one or more times to another person; kick a stationary or moving ball; roll; toss-clap-catch; toss under leg-catch; bounce with one or two hands; bounce with alternating hands; bounce while walking; bounce with eyes closed; catch in a container such as bleach bottle with the bottom removed; throw in a basket or at a target.

8. One Foot Balance- Have the child balance on one foot to a count of 3, then the other foot. Increase the length of time required to balance. Try the same activity with eyes closed.

9. Hopping- Encourage the child to hop as many times as possible, increasing the number required each time as better balance and strength are achieved.

10. Skipping- Teach this skill by having the child step on one foot, hop on that foot, step on the other foot, hop on that foot, etc. with increasing speed. Encourage the child to be able to skip for fairly long lengths of time or in circles or other patterns without losing the rhythm.

11. Jumping- Have the child jump so that both feet land at the same time. Jump in a series of hoops; jump over objects or varying heights; jump in 180º turns; jump with feet tied together; broad jump; high jump.

12. Jump Rope- Have the child jump over a wiggly rope; a rope swinging back and forth; begin "in" with the rope turned by two people; jump in with the rope turned by two people; or jump rope while turning the rope himself/herself either with two feet landing at the same time or one after the other.

13. Jumping Jacks- Have the child jump so that the legs spread apart and the hands clap above the head and then jump again so the feet go back together and the arms go back to the sides. Do several of these in a row.

14. Duck Walk- Have the child walk with hands on hips and squatting low to the floor.

15. Crab Walk- Have the child "walk" on his hands and feet in a sitting or lying down position.

16. Seal Walk- Encourage the child to "walk" on his/her hands dragging his/her trunk and legs behind him/her.

17. Wheelbarrow Walk- Have the child "walk" on his/her hands while his/her feet are held for him/her.

18. "Other Walks"- Have the child walk on tiptoes; walk on heels; walk fast, slow, backward, or sideways; walk on stilts made of large juice cans with a rope through each can and held in the hands; leap frog; three legged races; etc.

19. Rolling- The child can practice rolling on the floor, carpet, snow, down a hill, up a hill, inside a barrel, etc. Rolling can be done with the whole body turning at once or, preferably, with a twist of the trunk so the head turns first and the legs last. Somersaults are also suggested.

20. Bouncing- The child may bounce on an inner tube, trampoline, or a bed and should be encouraged to hump high, low, symmetrically, asymmetrically, in standing, all fours, in sitting, etc.

21. Rhythms- Encourage the child to walk (march) rhythmically in time to music or handclaps. Or play rhythm games with commercially available records; or show the child a handclap pattern of 3-6 parts and have him/her repeat it exactly.

22. Obstacle Course- Put out a series of games for the child to complete in the sequence you establish and encourage him/her to complete the whole course (from memory). Suggestions are jumping over an obstacle, climbing up and over something, crawling under a low object, squeezing through a tunnel, sliding down something, rolling, hopping or any of the above mentioned activities.

23. Crossing the Midline- Encourage the child to cross his/her body midline without having him/her to cognitively aware of what you expect of him/her. One suggestion is to have him/her walk along a line with legs crossed or crawl with arms crossed. Or have the child use just one arm and one leg at a time for ball games and throw the ball at the child so his/her right hand will have to go the left side of the body in order to catch the ball, for example. Discourage the child's turning his/her body in order to avoid crossing the midline of the body.

24. Two-Handed Activities- Some children have trouble getting the two sides of the body to work well together. Suggested activities are as follows. Roll, throw, or catch a very large ball. Play parachute games. Roll out clay with a rolling pin and two hands. Hold a bucket-type of container with two hands and catch a ball in this. Volleyball- hit a ball or beach ball with two hands simultaneously. Hit a ball or balloon suspended on a rope from the ceiling in the middle of a stick (bat) held with two hands on either end.

25. General Exercises- Encourage muscle strengthening through exercises such as push ups, sit ups, chin ups, toe touches, leg lifts, arm circles, etc.

26. Adaptations- Most of the above activities can be adapted by having the child complete the same thing except fast, slow, forward, backward, sideways, with head turned to one side or the other, or with eyes closed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Activities to Improve Gross Motor Skills - Small School OT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1. General Play- Encourage the child to engage in rough play indoors or outdoors which involves lots of running, jumping, hopping, skipping, tumbling, rolling, playing on swings, playing on monkey bars, riding a tricycle or bicycle, etc. 2.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You are here: Home / Activities / Fine Motor / Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities

Fine Motor
Popular Preschoolers Toddlers My Favorites
Resources

Make fine motor activities easier and simpler to do with easy materials and activities to boost fine motor skills!

Fine motor activities have been put on a back burner in this house for a bit, about a year. Now we’re back on a big fine motor skills activity kick!

Which is probably a good thing.

Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills.

Those big muscles help the little muscles!

But wow! What a difference a year makes!

You’ve got to try these cutting activities to build fine motor skills as well as learn to use scissors!

Last year, Henry wouldn’t sit still. He didn’t have any desire to do anything that didn’t involve a lot of running around.

We were really into activities that promoted his gross motor skills at that time.

But recently, Henry’s taken a turn and likes to focus on some of these littler things. He loves to cut especially.

Now that’s he’s interested in these fine motor activities, what can we do?

I’ve gathered up some inspiration.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But, first of all, what are fine motor skills?

According to Understood.org:

"We use fine motor skills to make small movements. These movements come so naturally to most people that we usually don’t think about them. Fine motor skills are complex, however. They involve the coordinated efforts of the brain and muscles, and they’re built on the gross motor skills that allow us to make bigger movements."

What are examples of fine motor skills and activities?

Fine motor skills can include small movements such as:

holding a pencil

maneuvering a pencil

scissor skills

pushing Lego blocks together (and pulling them apart)

manipulating play dough

getting dressed with belts, buttons, zippers and snaps

using silverware while eating

opening and closing latches

technology/mouse manipulation

Why are fine motor skills important for a preschooler?

As you can see, many of these skills are needed in a child’s (and adult’s) everyday tasks.

Without having gained strength in fine motor skills, a child can suffer moving forward. They may not have the ability to do these small tasks, but they also may lack the confidence to do more advanced tasks or projects because of this inability.

You can check out the chart of fine motor development on Kidsense.org.

Are you convinced now that fine motor skills are important to focus on just a bit?

Of course, I still recommend not going crazy about it. Don’t expect your kid to be able to make straight lines and hold their pencil correctly when they’re two years old.

Click here to Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But if you notice they are lacking in their fine motor ability, there are tons of fun ways to help improve it.

The big question becomes…

“How can I improve my child’s fine motor skills?”

Let’s have fun with promoting their fine motor skills anytime! No need to wait until they’re behind, right?

These are some supply suggestions that naturally promote fine motor through activities for preschoolers.

Materials that promote fine motor skills… and click the link (or look below) to find fine motor activities to do with them!

By the way, these would be fantastic to put together in a “fine motor kit” to have on hand.

Pom Poms in general are small, needing small movements to grasp them, pick them up, and move them. They are fantastic material to work on hand eye coordination.

Buttons are also small items that work great in developing fine motor skills. Picking them up works those small muscles, But the true fine motor skills comes in the act of buttoning something up, that takes some amazing finger strength and hand eye coordination.

Paper Clips are great for finger movements and manipulation. Being able to slide the clip onto a piece of paper takes a lot of concentration for kids in preschool and kindergarten.

Clothespins are a fantastic material for building finger strength. We use them a lot in our learning activities that the kids absolutely love.

Rubber Bands also work on finger strength, but in the opposite way that most materials do. These are a fantastic addition to any fine motor activity!

Tweezers take a lot of hand eye coordination to be able to operate successfully and move an item from one place to another. Try it!

Pipe Cleaners can be used as a great tool for fine motor skills. They can be threaded and poked!

Straws can be used as beads, to thread onto something! But they also work great with play dough too.

Play Dough is fantastic for building those small muscles! Kneading, pushing and rolling the dough really helps! Find out how to make homemade playdough.

Knobs and Screws (or Nuts and Bolts), any real tool from Dad’s toolbox is a hit for my kids! These also take incredible hand eye coordination and concentration to be able to tighten and loosen.

Stickers are amazing! Have your child try to peel the stickers off the sticker sheet! If it’s tricky, you can remove the non-sticker part of the sheet and it’s still an amazing fine motor activity. And then placing the sticker on a paper also takes hand control.

Hole Punch are hard! Trust me, your child will need to work up to this amount of muscle strength in their hands before they’ll be able to successfully do this. So plan to help out, but give them the chance to try!

Syringes are so much fun for kids and have the added bonus of working those small muscles in their hands with control so they don’t squirt the liquid out too fast.

Eye Droppers are a fun way for kids to work on their pincer grasp. Suck it up and let it out!

Kitchen Tongs can be a great tool for working on hand strength and control. Bring them out during clean up time and I bet your child will be more willing to pick up their toys plus you get the added bonus of working on their fine motor skills.

Toothpicks are small and take a good pincer grasp to be able to hold it.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

Fine Motor Skills Activity Ideas

Now that you have some materials to grab and have on hand to work on fine motor skill, put them to use with some of the activities that promote them!

These activities can be done with a great variety of materials, so don’t just limit yourself to what’s above. Instead, use our suggestions as inspiration!

If you’re struggling for younger kids to work on their fine motor skills, you may want to look into our fine motor activities for toddlers suggestions.

Below are some great fine motor activities for preschoolers to get started with.

Sewing

Weaving

Lacing

Beading

Balancing

Spooning

Painting

Tracing

Pinching

Threading

Make things small

Cutting

Sorting

Poking

Buttoning

Get a quick print of these materials and what to do with them here, or click the image below. Put this printout in a fine motor kit to have on hand with the supplies listed to use and you’ll be set!

Check out our 32 activities that focus in on objects that help strengthen a child’s hand grip.

Like I said, stock up on these fine motor materials and keep them handy. Here are some handy affiliate links to get you started: Plastic Sewing Needles for Kids, Colorful Buttons, Eye Droppers, Fiskars Pointed Scissors, Marbles, Beads.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

However, keep in mind that before really you really focus in on fine motor skills, kids need to get moving and using their gross motor skills first to build up their big muscles which in turn will help support the little muscles used in fine motor activities!

30 moving activities for excess energy

26 gross motor activities for preschoolers

20 physical activities for toddlers

32 scavenger hunts for kids

What are your best tips and tricks to make fine motor activities super fun?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You’ll love working on fine motor skills with easy activities ideas, made simpler with materials you can keep on hand!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Research at Lurie Children's is conducted through Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute. We focus on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Child development stages | Baby milestones of Gross motor development

# data[].attributes.body
Age Play Developmental Milestones

1-12 months

​The baby engages in exploratory play — also called sensorimotor play.

Play is focused on bonding with caregivers.

The baby may explore the parent’s hair, body and face and the parent may encourage the baby’s exploration of objects such as rings, rattles or soft animals.

The baby will engage with repetitive movements to experience different sounds, sights, touch and feelings.

At this age, play is not just about toys, it’s about back-and-forth interactions — anything from singing a song during a diaper change to cooing and smiling back and forth.

12-18 months

​The young toddler engages in functional play — also called relational play.

At this age a young toddler will understand the purpose of a toy and can operate it according to the function.

Children learn through play when they can cause things to happen or change. Therefore, cause-effect play is important at this age such as dumping and filling and manipulating toys that twist, turn, crank, make noise or light up.

The young toddler also begins to play games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake.”

18-24 months

​The older toddler engages in pretend play — also called symbolic play.

The older toddler makes inanimate objects perform actions — such as a doll eating or a car driving through a garage.

The older toddler enjoys both solitary play such as building with blocks or completing puzzles and social play such as imitating peers.

The joy of movement becomes more self-directed as the older toddler delights in swinging, climbing and sliding; they often enjoy and request extremes of movements.

The older toddler can now put together a sequence of several actions such as placing people inside a toy bus and pushing it across the floor.

2-3 years

​The young child will combine actions into entire play scenarios. For example the child will feed the doll, put the doll’s pajamas on and then put the doll to bed.

The play experience becomes more social; two or three children will engage with the play theme and take turns or change roles.

Pretend play becomes more abstract and an object can be used to represent something else — a block can become a phone, a large box can become a car, a swing can become a space ship.

The young child’s motor skills are improving so they can enjoy tricycles and throwing games.

3-4 years

​Play is now highly social and focused on peer relationships.

The preschool age child participates in circle time, singing and dancing games, and art time.

Group play replaces parallel play and the preschooler shows interest in being a friend.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Milestones help you understand how your child learns and grows. Cognitive development is critical to a child's growth. It describes how a child's brain develops, and includes skills such as thinking, learning, exploring and problem solving. It also affects other areas of a child's development, including language and social skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fine Motor Development Chart - Kid Sense Child Development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
< Back to Child Development Charts Fine motor skills are finger and hand skills such as writing, cutting, opening lunch boxes, and tying shoelaces. The development of these skills relies upon the age appropriate development of physical skills (such as core trunk control and shoulder strength) providing the stable base from which the arm and hand can […]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Occupational Therapy | Fine Motor Skills Activities (For Toddlers)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
< Back to Child Development Charts
Play is the voluntary engagement in self-motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment. Play is a vital activity in children developing age appropriate skills and understanding their place in the world.

Social skills are the skills we use everyday to interact and communicate with others. These also play a substantial role in aiding the broad range of age appropriate skill development.

Note: Each stage of development assumes that the preceding stages have been successfully achieved.

How to use this chart: Review the skills demonstrated by the child up to their current age. If you notice skills that have not been met below their current age contact Kid Sense Child Development on 1800 KIDSENSE (1800 543 736).

0-6 months

Establishes eye contact for a few seconds

Responds with a smile when socially approached

Recognises parent visually

Discriminates strangers

Laughs in response to play

Distinguishes between friendly and angry voices

Manipulates and explores objects

Manipulates a rattle

Imaginative play actions are absent or random

6-12 months

Plays peek-a-boo

Participates in clapping when prompted

Lifts arms to parent

Responds to facial expressions

Extends toys to others

Manipulates and explores objects

Imitates an adult's actions

Places doll with head upright and vertical to the ground

Imaginative play actions are absent or random

1-2 years

Has toy preferences

Identifies self in mirror

Imitates adult behaviour

Likes repetitive actions such as putting objects in and out of boxes and scribbling on many pages

Imitates a pretend play action (e.g. giving a drink)

Demonstrates play related to their body (e.g. sleeping, eating)

Spontaneously performs one action with a doll (e.g. hugs doll)

Uses a similar looking object for the needed object (e.g. uses paper as a blanket)

Is unable to share and competes with other children for toys

Looks for hidden objects

Begins to play next to other children

Observes other children playing around them but will not play with them

Engages in imaginative play

Says "hi", "bye" and "please" without prompting

May lead to delayed fine motor skills due to lack of practice manipulating toys and objects

May have difficulties socialising with parents and joint attention

May struggle to copy and learn from others due to poor understanding and attention

2-3 years

Has a strong sense of ownership

May begin cooperative play

Treats doll or teddy as if it is alive

Plays alongside others but will not play together with them

Begins to use symbols in their play such as a stick becoming a sword

Play themes reflect less frequently experienced life events (e.g. visiting the doctor)

Play actions are detailed and logical with "No"

Uses or plans story-line

Has an awareness of a parent's approval or disapproval of their actions

Will express emotions

Will verbalise their desires/feelings (e.g. "I want a drink")

Begins to obey and respect simple rules

May have difficulties socialising with peers and joint attention

May struggle to copy and learn from others due to poor understanding and attention

May lead to delayed fine motor skills due to lack of practice manipulating toys and objects

May lead to delayed manipulation of small objects such as toys, pencils and scissors

May result in frustration when manipulating small toys and objects

3-4 years

Plays with mechanical toys

Takes turns with other children

Plays with 2 or 3 children in a group

Play themes expand beyond personal experience (e.g. fireman rescuing people)

Talks about their feelings

Feels shame when caught doing the wrong thing

4-5 years

Begins taking turns and negotiating

Plays together with shared aims of play with others

Usually prefers playing with other children than playing by themselves

Plays imaginatively (e.g. playing in the home-corner, dressing up, cooking)

Enjoys playing games with simple rules (e.g. hide and seek)

May change the rules of a game as the activity progresses

5-6 years

Play themes include themes never personally experienced (e.g. going to space)

Plays and negotiates with others during play

Play is well organised

May have difficulties socialising

May have difficulties retelling events

May have difficulties following routines

May have difficulties expressing thoughts and ideas verbally and in written form

May lead to poor self-esteem due to difficulties interacting with other children

6-7 years

May have difficulties socialising

May have difficulties following instructions at home and at school

May have difficulties retelling events

May have difficulties expressing thoughts and ideas verbally and in written form

May lead to poor self-esteem due to difficulties interacting with other children

This chart was designed to serve as a functional screening of developmental skills per age group. It does not constitute an assessment nor reflect strictly standardised research.

The information in this chart was compiled over many years from a variety of sources. This information was then further shaped by years of clinical practice as well as therapeutic consultation with child care, pre-school and school teachers in South Australia about the developmental skills necessary for children to meet the demands of these educational environments. In more recent years, it has been further modified by the need for children and their teachers to meet the functional A ustralian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority ( ACARA) requirements that are not always congruent with standardised research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play and Social Development Charts - Kid Sense Child Development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back to Child Development Charts Play is the voluntary engagement in self-motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment. Play is a vital activity in children developing age appropriate skills and understanding their place in the world. Social skills are the skills we use everyday to interact and communicate with others.