While kids are off school for the holidays, it’s important to continue working on their fine motor skills. Having a strong foundation of fine motor coordination and strength is vital for kids to be able to succeed with tasks throughout their day such as dressing (buttoning, zipping, etc.), eating (using utensils), school work (writing), and play (manipulating small objects like legos or beads). Below are a few holiday and winter themed craft activities you can do with your kids that will challenge their fine motor skills while they have fun!
Beginners: Christmas Tree With Tissue Paper Ornaments
- Materials:
- White paper and markers OR green + brown construction paper
- Different colored tissue paper
- Liquid glue
- Steps:
- Have your child draw a Christmas tree on white paper or cut one out of construction paper (green for the tree, brown for the trunk).
- Provide your child with a few sheets of different colored tissue paper and show them how to tear off a small piece and roll it between your thumb and pointer to create a little ball.
- Have them create as many “ornaments” as they want, then glue them to the tree.
- This task not only works on fine motor and in-hand manipulation, but it also works on strengthening while squeezing the glue bottle and precision when placing ornaments on the tree. This activity allows for lots of creativity and can be a fun way to challenge your little one’s fine motor skills!
More Advanced: Cutting Snowflakes
- Materials:
- Scissors
- White and/or blue paper
- Steps:
- Start with square paper – if you have regular printer paper, fold a right triangle and cut off excess paper to make a square.
- Fold the paper into a triangle, and fold in half again.
- From there, have your child play around with snipping at different spots on the triangle to reveal different designs when unfolded.
- This is great for hand strengthening because your child will be cutting through several layers of paper at a time. Fine motor precision is also targeted through folding and lining up the edges of the paper before cutting. Making snowflakes can be a fun and entertaining activity for older kids!
For Any Age/Skill Level: Help Making Cookie Dough
- Steps:
- A great way to work on fine motor strengthening and coordination is to make cookie dough. Have your child help you mix the dough with a spoon, or with their hands. They can roll it into small balls or help roll it out and push the cookie cutters into the dough.
- After cookies have baked, let your kids decorate with frosting and sprinkles, further challenging fine motor precision and force gradation.
- This activity is great for kids of all ages and abilities, and can be a fun way to prepare for the holidays together!
Still Having Fine Motor Difficulties?
No matter what level your child is at with their fine motor skills, you can always challenge them to improve their strength and coordination. Doing so will benefit so many aspects of their day to day life, and will promote increased independence!
If your child is still having fine motor difficulties, or you would like an assessment, call to get scheduled with one of our amazing pediatric Occupational Therapists today at 773-687-9241. Happy Holidays!
