Fine+Motor



Motor skills are actions that involve the movement of muscles in the body. They are divided into two groups: __gross motor skills__, which include the larger movements of arms, legs, feet, or the entire body (crawling, running, and jumping); and __**Fine Motor Skills , **__ which are smaller actions, such as grasping an object between the thumb and a finger or using the lips and tongue to taste objects.

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**Fine Motor Activities for the Home**
-these activities help to develop grasp patterns, fine motor control, and hand strength -Hide small objects in side playdoh, theraputty that the child has to pull apart to find the object. (to vary hide objects in rice/beans, sand or popcorn kernal mixture in a bucket) - Place coins in a bank -Wiggle fingers - Can have fingers on one hand “talk” to fingers on the other hand (Use finger puppets) -Use tweezrs or long tongs (salad or toaster tongs) to pick up small objects from the floor or table : Some games using tweezers are Operation and Bed Bugs -Use legos/duplos, bristle blocks, Mr. Potato Head to encourage lateral and radial pinch -Play pick up sticks -Break crayons in half or use cone shaped markers or crayons to color on a vertical surface (easel, paper taped to a wall, slant board) to encourage proper pencil grasp -Popping bubble wrap with fingers -Stringing larger beads using pipecleaners for string - Use puzzles with knobs - Use shape sorters and puzzle pieces to encourage rotatng and manipulating objects in your hand -Stack blocks into a tower to knock over (use varying sized blocks and for better control, wrap small one inch blocks with velco) -Spin tops -Squirt or water guns -Practice using turkey basters and eye droppers. Provide water colored with food dye and a container to transfer the water between or put dots on a piece of paper -Make a collage using stickers that the child needs to peel apart and place -Using scissors to snip thinker sheets of paper (construction paper, manilla folders) and playdoh or theraputty -Swing from a trapeze, monkey bars or climbing a ladder -Encourage crawling or wheel barrow walking a distnace of 8-10 feet to allow for wieght bearing into the hands -Painting or writing on a vertical surface (easel or tape paper to a wall) This will encourage and promote correct pencil grasp -Swimming -Encourage the child to hold onto the ropes on a swing at the playground for extended periods of time (10 minutes) -Use marbles to roll through piping or razzles



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