Fine motor skills work is important for many children with autism…but it definitely doesn’t have to be boring! Here are some great ideas to make fine motor skill practice fun!
- Making a necklace or bracelet – try threading beads, cut up straws or even tube pasta on pipe cleaners or string.
- Button sorting – give your child an egg carton with the spaces coloured to correspond with the colours of the buttons. Have your child put the correct button in the correct space.
- Stacking small blocks – encourage your little ones to build a tower with small blocks. See how high they can stack them!
- Sticking stickers – stickers are colourful, inexpensive and, most importantly, fun! Sticking stickers to make crafts, pictures or just on paper is a great way to encourage fine motor skills practice.
- Cutting and pasting –grab a pair of child-safe scissors and some non-toxic glue and encourage your child to create a work of art.
- Put puzzles together – not only do puzzles encourage shape recognition and patience, they’re also excellent for fine motor skills.
- Sponge painting – cut a simple kitchen sponge into many different shapes and grab some nontoxic paint. Have your child grasp the sponges like a stamp, dip them into the paint and get creative.
Remember to make your child’s fine motor skill practice fun and engaging!
