Fun Ways to Improve your child's 

Fine Motor Skills

Finding Cooper's Voice

What are fine motor skills? 

Fine motor skills involve the use of small muscles in our hands, wrists, fingers, feet and toes.

Why fine motor skills matter

Fine motor skills involve the movements of small muscles that require your child's brain to coordinate between the action and what they are seeing.

Fine motor skills are vital for doing everyday activities like buttoning up a shirt, using utensils to eat, tying shoelaces, cutting with scissors and writing.

Fun Activities to try: 

Play-Dough

puzzles

drawing/painting

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More activities.

legos 

These activities encourage fine pushing and pulling movements.

sand play

Use cups to fill up and pour out. 

Beading

Thread different size beads onto strings, laces and pipe cleaners.

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Water Play: Use cups to fill and pour water out, sponges or squeaky rubber toys to squeeze. If outside, a water table is a great activity to keep hands moving.

Cutting with Scissors

The opening and closing motion of cutting with scissors helps children develop the small muscles in their hands. These muscles are crucial for holding a pencil or crayons and gripping and manipulating objects.

Make a Sensory Bin

Fill a bin with rice, sand, or dried pasta and add fun little objects to dig out. Make a game of it.

Warning Signs

There are some warning signs that your child may have issues with fine motor skills:   -Frequently dropping things -Difficulty holding a spoon  -Trouble writing or using scissors -Difficulty pointing to objects -Difficulty picking up objects

What to do if you're concerned? 

If you have concerns about your child's fine motor skills, talk to your pediatrician. They may recommend an evaluation by an Occupational Therapist.

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