FINE MOTOR SKILLS PRACTICE

Label Everything: Immerse your child in letters. Work together to find pictures to represent the clothing in various drawers of your child's dresser. Then work together to make picture/word labels. Tape the labels to your child's dresser drawers. This will start to immerse your child into language. Label everything you are able to label. Closet, bed, mirror, toy chest, socks, shirts, shorts, etc……

Clay and Play Dough: Have your child squeeze clay or play dough. The squeezing motion builds up the fine motor muscles. If you wish, there are many recipes online to make your own dough. Allow your child to help you mix the ingredients.

Dough Shapes: Playing with dough, show your child how to form a ball by rolling the dough on the table top. Then encourage your child to make a long "snake" with the dough.

Proper Grip Practice: Practice picking up a crayon/pencil by placing it in front of your child at the mid-point of your child. Allow your child to reach with his/her dominant hand. Then observe the grip. Review the proper grip for holding a crayon/pencil.

Board Writing: The next step if available is to let the child practice writing on a small chalkboard or dry erase board holding the chalk or marker properly.

Textured Tracing Cards: If you have the time, prepare large index cards with one numeral or letter per card. Be consistent - either all capital or all lower case letters please. Trace the letter then take glue (Elmer's or school glue). Put medium size drops of glue along the numerals/letters that you wrote. Allow the drops of glue to dry as drops (do NOT spread the glue). When they are fully dry they make excellent tracing cards for your child.

Line Practice: Holding a pencil properly let your child practice writing straight lines, starting at the top line and pulling down to the bottom line, over and over and over.

Circle Formation: Now form circles starting at the top line and push the pencil around to the right, down and around to form the circle closing at the top. Take your time. This progression ultimately could take months if your child's fine motor skills are not fully developed. There is no rush.

Tearing Practice: Tearing- yes, make a mess- tear the newspaper into little pieces or some leftover tissue paper from a gift box. Tear it into little pieces.

Air Writing: Break day! Air Write letters in the air. Name a letter, demonstrate writing the letter in the air. The first time make it BIG then second time, teeny tiny, have fun writing letters in the air.

Straight Line Letters: Using clay or play dough, have your child make straight line "stick" letters on top of a model that you make for your child. Use: l, L, i, I, t, T, E

Sand/Salt Box Writing: Now gather together a small box (shirt box is good) or cookie sheet with sides. Pour either salt or sand (colorful art sand works) into box. Have your child use index and middle finger to trace the same letters in the sand. Then sweep fingers over sand to "erase" the letters then repeat over and over.

BINGO Dabber Letters: If you have a "BINGO" dabber bottle, (bottle ink with a sponge dabber end) trace letters on a sheet of paper with a pencil then let your child "dab" dots over the letter shape. Put newspaper under the paper. The ink may bleed through.

Slanted Line Letters: Using clay or play dough, have your child make letters that have slanted lines: V, v, W, w, X, x, Z, z on top of a model that you make for your child.

Story Dictation: Break time! Find some interesting pictures and have your child tell you a story about the pictures. Write down the story as your child dictates. Then keep the story and picture in a folder.

Circular Letters: Using clay or play dough, have your child make circular letters on top of a model that you make for your child. Use: O, o, C, c, Q, q.

Q-tip Painting: Fun day! Try "painting with Q-tips" Use Q-Tips and water color paints to practice the letters you have completed. This is a fun activity. Use Q-tips as an alternate to a brush.

Mixed Shape Letters: Using clay or play dough, have your child make mixed shape letters on top of a model that you make for your child. Use: e, D, d, u, U, p, P

Name Writing with Dough: Take a break from pencil work. Trace your child's name onto a piece of paper. Allow your child to "write" his/her name with clay or play dough. Roll out the dough into a "snake" then form letters with the dough.

Biscuit Dough Letters: Purchase some pre-mixed biscuit dough. Allow your child to use the dough to spell out his/her name. Then put the letters onto a baking sheet and bake the letters. Then enjoy a fun snack or serve for dinner.

Shaving Cream Writing: Just for fun, squirt some shaving cream on to a cookie sheet on a covered table top. Allow your child to practice writing letters and his/her name in the shaving cream. When finished allow your child to clean the cookie sheet and table top.

Progressive Name Writing: Holding a crayon properly let your child practice name writing. Start with an adult writing the name and the child using the index and middle fingers to trace over letters of his/her name. Progress to tracing with pencil, then copying from a model, then writing without a model.

Bath Time Writing: Bath time is a great time to squirt some foaming bath soap or shaving cream on the tile wall and allow your child to practice forming letters in the soap.

Numeral Writing: Use the same writing steps as above (clay, trace with fingers, trace over with crayon, trace over with pencil, write from pre-written models, then write with no model) to practice writing numerals. Be sure to say the number name as you write it.

Shape Writing: Repeat same steps as above substituting basic shapes: square, rectangle, triangle, circle.

Outdoor Chalk Writing: If the weather is warm, go outside and allow your child to practice letter writing on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk. (It washes off)

Water Painting: Another warm day take an old paint brush (any size) and a small bucket of water. Let your child "paint" letters on the sidewalk with the water then watch them fade away.

Advanced Writing: Now start practicing writing your child's last name from a pre-written model then without a model. Ask your child the name of his/her friend and introduce writing the friend's name.

Sight Words: Look online for a basic word list such as the Dolch Sight word list: Start introducing words from the list for both writing and reading.

Practical Writing: Have your child write a shopping list for you. Give a model and allow your child to copy the list for you. Create a menu for last night's dinner. Allow your child to write the names of the foods.

Hole Punch Exercise: Develop those muscles: give your child a hand-held hole punch (one hole). Practice squeezing the hole punch like professional athletes do. Give your child small pieces of construction paper to punch out holes.

Dot Art Project: Make a birthday card using hole punches and glue. This project develops hand-eye coordination and will take several days. Do not expect your child to finish in one sitting.

Cutting Practice: Have a small pair of safety scissors available for your child to use. Always have an adult present. Allow your child to cut newspaper into pieces, cut out pictures from magazines, and practice cutting skills.

Letter Recognition Activities: Use highlighters to find letters in magazines and newspapers. Circle letters with crayons or pencils. Cut out recognized letters and glue them to paper.

Word Recognition: As your child starts to recognize small words (the, a, an, am, and, etc.), have your child highlight, circle, and cut out these words from printed materials.

Art Activities: Fine motor skills cross over to art. Coloring, painting, cutting, gluing, using clay and more are all excellent mediums for creating art, yet great for developing fine motor skills. Create an "Art Box" and let your child be creative.

Pipe Cleaner Letters: Have your child make letters out of chenille (AKA pipe cleaners).

Word and Picture Boxes: When your child has mastered drawing simple objects and recognizes letters, have them fold paper into boxes, write words, and draw corresponding pictures.

Magnetic Letters: Get out those magnetic letters and put them on the refrigerator. Have your child put the letters in alphabetical order. Picking up these pieces is good for fine motor muscles.

Foam Letters: If you have foam letters, they are great to practice alphabetical order in the bathtub.

Alphabet Challenges: Challenge your child to write the entire alphabet using a pre-written model, then without a model.

Poetry and Songs: As your child progresses verbally and develops a love of songs and poetry, help your child write out part or all of a favorite poem or song.

Letter Writing: Recycle old envelopes; save envelopes and encourage your child to write "letters" to be put inside these recycled envelopes.

Book Illustrations: After reading a good book, have your child illustrate part of the story or re-illustrate a page from the book.

Address Practice: Have your child draw your home. Then practice writing the address of your home.

Travel Writing Bag: Create a travel bag. Fill the bag with paper and pencil so writing work can continue when you're out at appointments.

Journaling: If your child shows an interest in journaling start simple. Have your younger child draw pictures of events, then as your child gets older, he/she should take over the writing part.

Restaurant Play: Play Restaurant. Give your child a small pad of paper and pencil. Let your child pretend to be the server and "take your order" for a meal.

Balance Exercise: To develop hand-eye coordination: Have your child balance a packing noodle or foam packing peanut on the end of a ruler and walk across the room.

Finger Painting: As messy as it is, finger painting is a great experience for children. Cover everything up and let your child have a great time finger painting.

Maze Activities: As your child matures, introduce mazes by following through with fingertips first, then give your child a pencil to follow through the maze.

Building Activities: Building with Legos and other blocks or building toys is excellent practice and creative. Pushing small cars and trucks and small animals is also good practice.