Fine Motor skills?

Question

Hello,

Does anyone have advice how to get a child to practice their fine motor skills when they refuse to do any of these activities? He will not go to the art center or playdough , or anything that involves fine motor skills. He has very little skill in this and when he does try he becomes mad and when encouraged to go to these centers he throws a tantrum.

Answer 1

s******g together nuts and bolts or other small manipulative play like Lego or Meccano.

Making block towers.

Drawing in the sand with a stick.

Dribbling wet sand into piles or towers.

Boys generally use their gross motor skills first so start slowly.

Take the writing/drawing idea tot he areas HE likes to use such as the sand p or water play. It takes fine motor skills to pour water slowly and carefully into small containers !!

Answer 2

Hmmm... I really don't have any suggestions other than find out what he topic/center he really likes and incorporate some fine motor skill activities with that.  It also depends on the age of the child.  

My first thought is that quite possibly there is something else going on.   Could he be having sensory issues? In the very least, maybe he is just very frusterated with not being successful... could you simplify the tasks on a 1:1 basis.  If he enjoys being outside, take a task outside to do with him.  If it is not sensory that is bothering him...he may like sand... provide containers and scoops and as he progresses provide smaller containers and small scoops/spoons.  Pouring water helps with fine motor.  If he spends his time in the block area...remember that building with blocks do use fine motor skills...maybe provide some smaller 1-in blocks to stack.  Make it fun by knocking them down.   What child does not enjoy that?  :-)  My suggestion to you is to observe what he does choose to do in the classroom... quite possibly you can integrate it unknowingly to him in his chosen interest area.  Good luck!

Answer 3

Try using a positive reinforcement to get him to do it. Limit the time, the kid was probably getting frustrated if he keep doing it over and over. If he tries, praise him well and tell him to go play then call him again in a few and try the skill again. It takes time for other children to learn their fine motor skills. Make it fun for him.

Answer 4

have him tear up paper -will he cut out pictures - like tractors or trucks and cars?  What is he interested in - get that kind of magazine and have him cut out the pictures he likes - even tearing the pictures out is a fine motor skill - he can glue them on a piece of paper then and make his own collage.

Answer 5

Find out what he's interested in. You could then do an activity inlvolving this.

Also ask the parents if there are any underlying causes for this, as if there is like some sort of hand function problem or a sensory issue then you may need to get the assistance of an occupational therapist.

What are his gross motor skills like (upper body - arms) his motor development may be delayed so that what other children use fine motor skills for he is using gross motor -like building blocks.

Try using bigger things. You could also try using things like stress balls, the computer (even using a mouse or a joystick uses fine motor skills)

Use what he does do to improve his fine motor skills. Like if he does sand or water play try to get him to use his hands rather than a bucket or spade.

You could also get him to carry stuff for you.

Whatever you do with him make it fun and praise even little improvements.

Answer 6

try getting a large plastic tub and filling it with rice and adding things like beads, foam shapes, other small things and let him pick the beads out.  Maybe try getting some tracing pages and let the class do tracing pages and you work one on one with him.

Answer 7

fine motor is as easy as drawing, see if he'd like to bake he can stir the ingredients, puzzles, painting, picking flowers, using musical instruments/ribbons while dancing, gluing, dressing dolls and teddies - do they have velcro to do up/undo, buttons.

Try a game of hiding objects in a box, they put their hand underneath and have to feel the object what does it feel like - he'll be using fine motor feeling the bumps, points on the object.

put some telephones and keyboards out for him to push the buttons.

hope this helps.