Fine Motor Skills
Hand exercises to improve co-ordination and fine motor skills
- Grip thumbs around each other into a loop and pull them in the opposite direction.
- Place palms together and push hands together as if you were praying.
- Place hands under legs while sitting down and lift yourself up.
- Tear strips of paper and then roll up a strip, gathering the strip towards you, first with one hand and then the other.
- Pick up raisins with your finger and thumb. Use both hands simultaneously or alternate hands.
- Pass a pencil along your fingers, starting with your thumb. Roll it over and under and back again.
- Squeeze a soft ball, like a stress ball.
- Use some play-doh that has been slightly hardened in the fridge or plasticine. Place a coin in the centre of it and ask the child to find the coin.
- Rolling, threading and cutting all isolate finger movements and will help to strengthen fingers and improve hand function.
Games which can help too -
- Games with a yo-yo need to separate the thumb to work them properly and improve eye/hand function as well as co-ordination.
- Cat’s cradle
- French knitting
- Dot-to-dot games
- Marble mazes – get the child to follow the marble around the course with his/her finger.
Finger Aerobics
Try finger aerobic exercises to warm up the fingers before a writing task. This is an easy fine motor activity that the whole classroom can participate in.