Improving Your Child’s Fine Motor Skills
by Susan Owens

Just as gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body used in walking, hopping, running, and jumping, fine motor skills involve the small muscles in the fingers and hands used for cutting, tracing, coloring, writing and grasping.

At the kindergarten level, we are finding more and more children entering with a deficit in fine motor skills. Finger control, hand stretch, wrist rotation and grip strength needed for fine motor skills will improve by daily use of these exercises.

Characteristics of a child
with fine motor problems:

• Holds pencil with primitive grip (wrist to the side and too firm of a grip appears fisted)
• Has problems tracing because he cannot stay on the lines.
• Has trouble staying in the lines when coloring.
• Cannot use scissors effectively.
• When asked to complete a Cut and Paste sheet, he has great difficulty because cutting skills have not developed, and he cannot paste efficiently.
• Tends to scribble rather than to make strokes.
• When asked to do fine motor activities, complains that his fingers or hands are tired.
• Frustrated easily when working on fine motor activity.

Activities to Improve Pencil Grip

• Lacing Cards- Look for sturdy cardboard or foam board, with easy path of holes to lace. Use for counting tasks, or “races” with parent. “Who can move all the cereal into the cup first?”
• Push pin pictures- Staple or tape a simple coloring book page to a sheet of construction paper. Place on a carpet square and use a pushpin to poke holes along the black lines of the picture (Parents please supervise your child at all times)
• Put screws into Stryofoam with a small screwdriver.
• Crayon rubbings- Tape flat objects (leaves, shapes, etc) to the table. Cover with paper and secure to table. Rub over paper using broken, fat crayon (on its side).
• Keep a collection if wind-up toys (from kids meals) for playtime.
• Drawing with small pieces of chalk, crayons or markers on a vertical surface.
• Finger puppets- Encourage puppets on index finger and long fingers.
• Spinning tops- Small class collection for practice.
• Clothespins (with springs) – Clip pins onto a cardboard square and then remove. Repeat several times.
• Tiddly Winks- Move the Tiddly Winks across the floor.
• Pick-Up Sticks

Teaching Scissor Skills

We are finding that more and more of our children are coming to school unable to cut and use scissors effectively. We begin teaching cutting skills by using scissors with tiny oval handles. These are much easier for young children to manipulate. Short blades make cutting less frustrating.

It is also important to begin cutting with heavier items such as straws, old playing cards, manila folders, travel brochures and light cardboard sheets. We also begin by making many cuts around the edges of these items. We then start line cutting with straight lines within the length of the blades. Once the child has mastered single cuts, the cuts can be lengthened. We will then move to wavy lines before expecting the child to cut circles or shapes.

A small object such as a penny, sponge or cotton ball can then be placed in the palm of the hand to assist the child in correct finger position.

It is important to note here that the child must be given a lot of practice in developing finger strength, wrist rotation, finger dexterity, and coordination. These skills are absolutely necessary for both pencil control and success with scissors. They should be practiced daily and may need to be part of the curriculum for the entire kindergarten year. However, if these important skills are overlooked, the child will become frustrated and discouraged when required to do cutting and writing activities. I always say, “if we are to make all children winners, we must take away the things that make them losers.” Fine motor deficits will hamper the child’s ability to perform in classroom activities.

Susan Owens has 34 years teaching experience teaching in the public schools. For 26 years she taught at-risk students including: Educable Mentally Handicapped, Specific Learning Disabilities and Title 1.

She created the PEARL program, Providing for Early At-Risk Learners.

She can be contacted at Owens & Owens, Inc., P.O. Box 7948, North Port, Florida 34287; 941-423-8073; e-mail: info@pearlprograms.com
Printed with permission from P.E.A.R.L. Providing for Early
At-Risk Learners Owens & Owens Publishing, Inc. North Port, Florida, 2001 p.52-53.