Why are fine motor skills so important? A lot of times we think about working on fine motor skills so that we can write, but there is so much more to it.
I think we (me included) take for granted the many things we do every day with our hands. Think of all the things you wouldn’t be able to do if you weren’t able to use your hands. Some of these things include buttoning your shirt, zipping your jacket, tying your shoes, putting makeup on, starting your car, opening packages, picking up something off the ground, putting money in your wallet, opening a jar, doing your hair, turning pages in a book, etc., etc., etc.
So how do we work on fine motor skills with kids? Through play of course. There are many factors to consider as we help kids with fine motor skills. Some of these include finger isolation, in-hand manipulation, crossing midline, pincer grasp, eye-hand coordination, and bilateral coordination.
Below I’ll share my favorite toys that I use when I’m working with kids on fine motor skills. I’ll share my thoughts on each toy in the description of each one.
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2 Responses
I love these toy ideas! But our non verbal autistic grandson would not show an interest in any of these. And we have many of these toys. I’m really stumped as to what to get him for his 8th birthday coming up!
Hi Sharlene! I can’t believe he’s going to be 8 already! That’s so fun. I know you have so many toys that you’ve already tried, but if you’d like more ideas, you can check out my lists for cause & effect toys or sensory toys. I have a list for vestibular & proprioceptive toys or tactile toys.
Some other ideas might be to find things similar to what he already shows an interest in. If he has a favorite show, you could get him little figurines of characters from that show. If he likes to hold certain textures of items, find more things similar to that texture.
Hope you’re doing well!