Activities That Encourage Fine Motor Development

Activities That Encourage Fine Motor Development

Fine motor skills are determined by the dexterity and movement of hands and fingers.  These are the skills that allow your infant to grab and turn toys between their hands.  The primary function of fine motor skills in our daily lives are for writing.  Children must develop some strength in their fingers to properly hold a pen or pencil and practice how to write, so it is vital to offer a variety of games and activities that encourage fine motor development. Here at the Stem Kidz we have put together a bunch of products for that exact purpose. 

Our toys and activities challenge your child to manipulate a toy with his/her hands and fingers and, like with every educational activity, it is something that your child will find amusing and fun.  

Other activities like modelling play dough promotes creativity and offers all kinds of opportunities to engage fine motor skills.  Have your child roll various sized shapes out of the dough and let them use toothpicks or blunt tools to etch different designs and details into their new creations.

Building with blocks, like a Lego set, encourages young children to expand on their fine motor skills as well.  Activities like puzzles, crafting or using beads to make bracelets also allow children to use their tiny muscles to manipulate an object to suit their needs.  

Art activities are an excellent way to develop fine motor skills.  Have your child create some paper-mache artwork.  Allow your child to tear newspaper into long strips, then dip into a  glue solution made from flour and water then smooth onto a balloon.  Beading and sequins play are another terrific art activity to enhance small muscle development.

Play board games with your child that promote the use of dice and encourage them to roll to strengthen their hand dexterity.  Games that involve turning cards over, like Memory Match, or games with small pieces to move, like Ludo, are other fun ways to promote fine motor development.  

After some fine motor skills have been enhanced and mastered , usually around preschool age, you should provide your child with numerous handwriting activities.  Drawing and painting should also be considered.  Draw large letters on a sheet of paper and let your them trace the lines with a marker.  Dot to Dot games are also perfect for developing hand and eye coordination and finger dexterity.

Have a look at our developmental play range of products for a wide selection of toys to help improve your STEM KIDZ fine motor skills.