Fine motor coordination refers to the ability to use the small muscles in the hands and fingers to perform tasks that require precision and control. These skills are important for activities like holding a pencil, tying shoes, or using utensils to eat. In order to have good control of the small muscles in the fingers and hands, children need to have good core strength. You can think of this using the analogy of a cherry picker truck. If the truck’s base is not stable, it would be very difficult to control the movement of the arm. For this reason, part of working on fine motor skills is making sure kids have a solid base of support to work from. In pediatric occupational therapy, we work on helping children improve their fine motor coordination by practicing tasks that involve hand-eye coordination, strengthening hand muscles, and developing dexterity. When children have strong fine motor skills, they are better able to complete everyday tasks independently and with confidence.
Activities to Complete at Home:
- Stringing Cheerios (or other loop type food) onto uncooked spaghetti
- Using clothespins
- Play Doh, Clay, etc .
- Pulling/pinching small objects out of play doh, putty, clay etc.
- Using stickers
- Weaving
- Art/science activities involving the use of eye droppers
- Putting coins in a piggy bank
- Fastening buttons, zippers, snaps
- Punching holes in paper using a single hole punch
- Spinning tops
- Pushing beads, pom poms, or other small objects through a small hole
- Crafts
- Games such as Kerplunk or Honey Bee Tree
- Building with marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti
- Cutting with scissors
- Stringing/lacing pipe cleaners through a strainer
- Attaching nuts and bolts
- Squirting with spray bottles or squirt guns
- Tearing paper
