Alice's DIY Fine Motor Games
Check out these great activities from our Occupational Therapist, Alice. Fun ways to practice those fine motor skills as well as keep the kids entertained inside on rainy days!
Make a tennis ball monster
Cut a slit in a tennis ball and stick 2 googly eyes on and you have a tennis ball monster! You can use whatever you have at home to feed the monster, pom poms, dried cereal or pasta… he/she is not fussy!
Activities:
- Squeeze the ball for your child to feed the monster
- If you are looking for an extra strengthening challenge, your child can squeeze the tennis ball monster them self to pick up pom poms.
Colander threading activity
All you need is pipe cleaners and a colander. If you don’t have pipe cleaners, you can use dry spaghetti (warning: dry spaghetti can get a little messy!)
Extend this idea in play…it is a space helmet!
This activity targets the following skills: pincer grip, manual dexterity and visual motor integration skills.
Egg Carton Activities
There is SO much you can do with old egg cartons. Here are just a few ideas…
Colour the base of each egg cup on the inside and outside and poke holes through them.
- Threading pipe cleaners/coloured pop sticks/pom poms/coloured pencils. Extend this activity by asking your child to match the colours.
- Playdoh eggs: hide little animals inside of balls of playdoh and place inside the egg carton. Ask your child to find the animals inside.
- Posting pom poms.
Pegging Activity
All you need are pegs and something to peg them on!
Place an elastic band around a box to attach pegs to. You can also use a clothes airer if your child can reach.
Extend this to imaginative play with asking your child to help mum and dad hang the washing out by hanging out dolls clothes.
This activity targets the following skills: the little muscles of the fingers, pincer grip, bilateral integration, visual motor integration skills.
