MAY

 The summer vacation is upon us! Here are some ways to practice Fine Motor skills and Sensory Activities while home with you little learners over summer. 

Fine motor skills for preschoolers are an important precursor to developing proper writing skills as they age and go through school.  There are so many ways to develop the small muscles in a child’s hand that are easy to do at home and with little prep work or money.  

Coloring – coloring is an activity that all preschoolers should have exposure to.  While not all children like to color big elaborate pictures, they will have to color at some point in elementary school or even beyond.  Broken crayons are an excellent way to help little hands learn how to hold a writing implement properly and force them to use their pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).  Having your child color on their tummy while lying on the floor helps strengthen their shoulder muscles which are important in writing as well.  

Play-Doh – Always a kid favorite this not only works on fine motor skills but creativity as well.  The dough provides resistance and makes their hands stronger and able to do fine motor tasks for longer periods of time.  Slime or play foam are other options and keep things interesting as well.

Puzzles – Another great way to work on muscle strength are puzzles.  These have the extra benefit of also allowing children to problem solve to try and complete a picture.  They might have to learn how to turn a piece to fit or learn positional concepts from the picture or items on the pieces (example; the sky goes on the top and the ground goes on the bottom of the puzzle).  

Button and Zippers – These are great items to not only develop fine motor skills but learn independent skills as well.  Children learn to take pride in small accomplishments such as buttoning their pants or zipping a coat.  

Sensory Play

Sensory play is important for young children because it helps them make sense of the world around them and can help them understand how they can affect the world.  Many young children struggle with sensory challenges so here are some simple ways to help them.

Play-Doh – Performing double duty, Play-Doh is also a good item to use for sensory exposure as well.  You can add smell to the mix by making your own Play-Doh with spices and add to the fun.  

Shaving Cream – I know it’s messy but man is it fun for kiddos to play on a flat surface with shaving cream.  There’s a touch and smell component much like Play-Doh and you can even incorporate literacy into this activity.  Writing their name, letters or shapes in the shaving cream can be fun and educational at the same time.  The bath tub is a great place for this activity as well and you can incorporate writing on a vertical surface which helps work on fine motor muscles (for easy clean up on a table or counter, use a plastic ruler to get the shaving cream off the surface).

Sand – Another great item is sand and there are so many options now that you can get creative with this one.  My favorite is Kinetic Sand which doesn’t stick to hands like regular does.  Great for children who struggle with sensory challenges and very satisfying.  There are so many recipes for different kinds of sand that you can have fun and make your own.  You can add colors and smells to cover more senses with this activity.