Your skills are so fine

My mom would like to take the credit for my son’s exemplary fine motor skills, and if truth be told, she is probably right. As an occupational therapist, my mother looked at play time very differently than the average person. Sure, she let my son have free play, but she also crafted games and activities that would help promote his dexterity. When my son was a baby, he spent a lot of time on the mat laying down. To entertain him, my mom would slowly tear paper towels and blow on them so they danced above my son’s head. He would shriek with delight, and it wasn’t long before he began taking the paper towels and shredding them to pieces too. Everyday, he would become engulfed in bits of this snow. Sure, it was entertainment, but you know what? He was able to hold a tripod grip on any writing utensil by the age of 2, and to be honest, I never showed him how.

Developing Fine Motor Skills: Pumpkin Pegs

So here is a fun activity for working on fine motor  that I am ripping off of a few preschools that I looked at. You can use a pumpkin of any size. Kids can draw on the pumpkins with washable markers and hammer in pegs. For younger kids, it is helpful to make some holes as starters. You can have some fun with it and make the pegs hair and draw a face on your pumpkin, or just doodle and write “words” like my three year old did!

Check out the preschool tab to get a FREE download of activities you can do with your child or students to promote fine motor skills and tool control!