Alice's DIY Fine Motor Games
Fun ways to practice fine motor skills at home, as well as keep kids entertained inside on rainy days!
Looking for ways to improve your child’s fine motor skills at home?
Look no further! Check out 3 great activities you can DIY at home, explained by our Senior Occupational Therapist, Alice.
1.Make a tennis ball monster!
This activity targets the following skills: pincer grip, hand strength, finger isolation, manual dexterity, crossing the midline and bilateral intgration skills.
Cut a slit in a tennis ball and stick 2 googly eyes on and you have a tennis ball monster! You can use whatever you have at home to feed the monster, pom poms, dried cereal or pasta… he/she is not fussy!
Activities:
Squeeze the ball for your child to feed the monster
If you are looking for an extra strengthening challenge, your child can squeeze the tennis ball monster them self to pick up pom poms.
2.Colander threading activity
This activity targets the following skills: pincer grip, manual dexterity and visual motor integration skills.
All you need is pipe cleaners and a colander. If you don’t have pipe cleaners, you can use dry spaghetti (warning: dry spaghetti can get a little messy!) Extend this idea in play…it is a space helmet!
3.Egg carton activities
This activity targets the following skills: strength, pincer grip, manual dexterity, finger isolation, bilateral integration, visual motor integration skills.
There is SO much you can do with old egg cartons. Here are just a few ideas…
Colour the base of each egg cup on the inside and outside and poke holes through them.
Threading pipe cleaners/coloured pop sticks/pom poms/coloured pencils. Extend this activity by asking your child to match the colours.
Playdoh eggs: hide little animals inside of balls of playdoh and place inside the egg carton. Ask your child to find the animals inside.
Posting pom poms.
Need Extra Support?
Our paediatric occupational therapy team can help your child build confidence, strength and independence through play. Get in touch today!