Mastering fine motor skills is a tricky task for children to learn, but with it brings so much more independence. At young ages, parents are responsible for every little thing from tying shoelaces to zipping up coats. As your child ages, it is great to relinquish some of those responsibilities by having them do it… but how do they get to that point? Your little one does not just start buttoning their sweater, right? By practicing, your little one will start to increase their dexterity, work on their hand-eye coordination, and slowly become a bit more independent.

At Crème de la Crème, we help our students practice their hand-eye coordination and strength through many different activities. Here are some great ways to practice at home:

  • Using safety scissors, when age appropriate, to cut out shapes and pictures.
  • Coloring with pencils and crayons.
  • Infants and toddlers can pinch cereal, or other small and safe to eat snacks, between their pointer and thumb finger.
  • Threading noodles through a colander or string through hole-punched paper. For older children, they can practice putting beads on string as well!
  • Clapping hands together (which also helps your little one with their spatial-awareness).
  • Creating a masterpiece by pasting images on paper.
  • Building towers with blocks or interlocking toys.
  • Singing every child’s favorite song, “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” and showing them the corresponding hand movements.

Once you start creating these new experiences, you will start to see these learning experiences in your daily life. You do not always need an activity to have your child work on their fine motor skills! Letting them practice velcroing their coat or brushing their teeth will help them get there that much faster. Giving your child patience and encouragement as they learn is the best way to support them as they grow!