This is one of the few areas of Autism that my son does not have a lot of deficiencies in, but these are important skills to practice with any child. In fact, when my daughter started school, I realized that I had I really dropped the ball on this one. So whether your child has extreme fine motor delay, or none at all, fine motor skill play is a must. Grandparents, caregivers, and siblings can all get involved in these activities, which you can probably convince your child are just for fun! (Shhh...we won't tell.)
I'm going beyond the obvious here (crayons, markers, scissors) with some ideas of fun things you can do around the house with basic supplies:
- Hide buttons, coins, marbles, or other small objects in sand. (You can also use dry grits, rice, or the Be Amazing Insta-Snow Jar
I mentioned in another post.) Handling and manipulating small objects is vital for good fine motor skills.- Fill empty plastic spritzer bottles with dyed water. Let them spritz the colored water on thick white paper to create beautiful pictures!
-Don't throw away those old shirts and pants! Instead, use them to teach your child how to use a zipper, push buttons through holes, and fasten a snap. These aren't easy skills for any small child!
-Buy a set of lacing beads. Melissa and Doug makes dozens of great fine motor skill products, including more than one lacing bead set. My three year-old is still wearing the "necklace" he made two days ago.
-We found a way to use the leftover hard boiled eggs from Easter! Let your child crack the eggs and peel them. (Keep the air freshener handy. This activity is a bit stinky.)
- Make some sugar cookies. Pressing the cutters down and peeling off the excess dough is a perfect exercise. After the cookies have baked, let them decorate with small candies that they need to pinch between their fingers and put in place.
I hope these ideas keep you busy for the weekend! If you have any favorite fine motor skill projects, post them in the Comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment