Fine Motor Skills

Fine Motor Skills involve the small muscles of the body that enable such functions as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing.

Fine Motor skills are important in most school activities as well as in life in general. Weaknesses in fine motor skills can affect a child's ability to eat, write legibly, use a computer, turn pages in a book, and perform personal care tasks such as dressing and grooming.

If you suspect your child has fine motor weaknesses that may affect his education, discuss this possibility with your child's IEP team. Evaluation by a physical and/or occupational therapist can determine how significant the problem is and provide important information for use in therapy to improve your child's motor skills.

The IEP team will use therapists' assessments and other evaluation data to determine if your child needs regular therapy as a related service. If your child needs therapy to benefit from specially designed instruction, these services will be written into the individual education program.

• Toys for infants and toddlers;
• Toys for Toddlers to 24 Months
• For school aged children, board games with pieces and parts to pick up and move are ideal for developing fine motor coordination.
• Jenga is a strategy game using fine motor skills that particularly focuses on the pincher grip, which is used in writing.
• Not to be left out of course, are video games. These can help, but watch out for carpal tunnel syndrome. Be sure to check the video game rating to ensure they are appropriate for your child.

Make bath time an opportunity to learn with crayon soap or this Draw in Your Tub Fish & Farm Bath Toy by Alex Toys.

This Scratch Magic Princess Drawing Kit by Scratch Art has a definite cool factor for older children.

Of course, you can make your own scratch off paper by coloring a paper with multiple colors and shapes and then covering the sheet in black crayon. Scratch off with an orange stick or safety scissors.

Kirigami is another type of ancient Chinese art involving decorative paper cutting. For older children, ages 9 and up, this can be a fun activity that rewards kids with a decorative keepsake suitable for the refrigerator art gallery. Unfold the Secrets of Kirigami Kit