Here’s why I gave up trying to make my kid write,

He HATES COLORING and CAN’T SIT still! He can BARELY HOLD A PENCIL!

Yes, that’s us! So what did I do? I gave up trying to get my son to color, draw, trace, make marks, and write letters. That doesn’t mean we don’t work to develop fine motor skills everyday. Just like potty training, kids develop at their own pace. Why rush a young child who isn’t interested or resists. He will catch up. He will learn quickly, and he will learn to do it well.

My son has an abundance of little boy energy that isn’t ready for table work! That’s OK!

* I am not a professional. My advice applies to what I found works for us. Use your own judgement*

Many activities develop fine motor skills without even pointing it out!

There are tons of awesome activities that will develop fine motor skill without tears. After all, young children need to learn at the age appropriate to them not us. My biggest fear is that I will push to hard, expect to much, and create a negative attitude towards learning. Let’s engage our kids in the activities they do enjoy. Many activities develop fine motor skills that are perfect for children who aren’t interested in coloring, writing, etc.

Why are fine motor skills activities for young children so important? 

They build hand strength.

They build finger dexterity.

They build hand-eye coordination.

They build patience and carefulness.

Most importantly, developing fine motor skills builds control. 

I hope when the time is right, my son will learn handwriting with little effort.

We love to practice and develop fine motor skills with great hands-on learning activities. Even a very active child will enjoy some of our activities. Some of these fine motor ideas are not even planned activities, they are basic life skills. Slow down and make or take the time to develop fine motor skills with your child by having him open his snacks, zip his coat, and work his own buttons or even yours! Small but meaningful every day tasks build onto larger tasks to develop fine motor skills. Opening a cheese stick independently can build a child’s self esteem and further encourage fine motor development. 

These are some of our favorite fine motor tools to develop fine motor skills.

How do we use the fine motor tools to develop fine motor skills? Follow the links by clicking on each tool to see fun fine motor activities you can try at home with easy set up and common supplies. There is something for every one.

• eye droppers 
• squeeze and squirt bottles
• legos and many other building kits often have small pieces  and make a Lego Minifigure Game!
• scissors
• play dough
• tweezers
• sensory bins
• zippers, buttons, snaps: We naturally do this every day!
• snacks
• fingers for great practical life activities or fun science play

Check out these fun fine motor games for active kids! {click photos}

 

 

 Make sure to check out this awesome book. I am one of the authors! Click photo for details.

 

Join us every Friday for new fine motor activities and the blog hop!

 

Easter Egg Match Game from Craftulate

50+ FREE Easter Coloring Pages from Powerful Mothering

Easter Eggs & Toothpicks Fine Motor Sculptures from Stir the Wonder

Free Printable Easter Egg Garland for Scissor Skills and More from Lalymom

Easter Egg Alphabet Scavenger Hunt and Matching Activity from School Time Snippets