Susan GrahamDeveloping Your Child's Fine Motor Skills
December 23rd 2008 03:03
Triangle Pencils and Crayons
Ticonderoga makes these great triangle-shaped pencils called “My First Tri-Write.” They help little fingers find right where they belong. Crayola makes triangle crayons that my little guy loves for coloring. I have already noticed a difference in his confidence when he uses these shaped pencils and crayons. His preschool teacher even went out and bought him some triangle pencils and crayons to use in the classroom because they worked so well at home.
Picking Up Items with Tweezers
Fine motor problems are usually about muscles. For whatever reason, my son just doesn't have the strength in his hands necessary to work his tiny fingers in complex tasks. He needs a great deal of practice, but like any physical therapy it can be very unpleasant. Anything that makes fine motor development fun is a plus. We've discovered that Buddy really likes picking up colorful cotton balls with various sized tweezers and putting them into a cup. We started with large kitchen tongs, then gave him smaller tongs, then progressed down to eyebrow tweezers. Each size works different muscles, and it entertains him for quite some time.
Transformers
You know those toys that kids can manipulate into different shapes? Any toy like this will help your child develop his fine motor skills. Buddy will play with Transformers for hours on end, just changing them from one shape to another. This is wonderful practice for his little fingers.
Operation game
Remember that silly board game with the cartoon guy whose nose lit up when you operated on him? Guess what the main tool is for the "doctors" who play the game -- you guess it! Tweezers! Buddy loves to play Operation, especially by himself. He gets a little frustrated when he plays with other people because he always makes it buzz. But by himself, there is no pressure. He just has fun using the tweezers to extract the funny bone, the Charlie horse, and the Adam's apple.
Unlocking Doors
My husband came up with the idea of having Buddy unlock the front door whenever we come home. This makes Buddy feel important, and it gives him strength in those fingers.
Puzzles, Mazes, Connect the Dots
Any sort of game that helps fine motor skills is a good idea. Buddy loves to work mazes and connect the dots, and he doesn't feel like he's practicing his handwriting.
Barrel of Monkeys
I never really knew how to play the Barrel of Monkeys game. I always just liked to put the monkeys together. Buddy feels the same way, and it's really good for him to be able to balance all those monkeys at once.
These are just a few of the ideas we've come up with, and we've seen a tremendous improvement in his fine motor skills already. Feel free to share your ideas as well.
| 49 |
| Vote |
