Coordination and precision are the two characteristics that define fine motor skills. A maturational development in children begins around the year and a half and in which it is necessary to work over the following years to try to obtain more complex achievements that allow the child to fully develop their skills.
It is important to help children develop fine motor skills and for this, it is best to do it through games and simple crafts with which, in addition to training, they will have fun at times. Ideas like the ones we propose below.
1. Sets with tweezers
The little ones can develop fine motor skills and pincer work with their fingers through this simple game. Grab some different colored paper clips and place small pompoms and bits of pipe cleaners on the table or in wide-mouthed bowls. The game consists of collecting all the elements of the same color with the clamp. An entertaining way to work on your manual dexterity.
2. Play dough to help them cut out
The hand-eye coordination is important in fine motor skills. For this reason, younger children, who have not yet fully developed these skills, find it difficult to cut with any precision. To help you, we propose an activity that will guide you effortlessly.
The idea is to create bands, between which the child will have to cut out, with a little plasticine. We can start by making two straight lines so that the child does not get out of the way and continue complicating the activity by creating curves, circles or figures.
3. Working with rubbers
This game couldn’t be easier. It does not require more materials than bottles or cans and rubber bands . The proposal is to have the children surround the boat with all the rubber bands they can. The winner will be the one who gets the most tires in a given time.
Another game that can also work with elastics is trying to pass them from one child’s hand to another. To do this, one will have to have the rubber rolled up in his hand , at the height of the fingers, making force with so that it does not escape forward or retract towards the wrist. In this position you will have to pass it on to your partner.
4. Fine motor skills with straws
One possibility for your child to improve hand-eye coordination is to have him practice inserting small objects or sticks into holes. You can work on this concept with a cutlery jar with holes and a box of colored straws with which the children will have to go through the jar.
5. Children’s mini clothesline
The base of a wooden box can be used to create this activity with which to work the clamp effect. The first step to create this clothesline is to tie some wool to the two ends of the box that will help us to place the clothes. Draw small items of clothing on eva eraser and let the children cut them out. Once the work is done add a basket with small clothespins to your box and invite the children to hang out all the clothes they have cut out.
You can add complications to the game by having them arrange them by color or type of garment. In addition to working fine motor skills with finger clamping, they will also learn to create series and sequences.
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