Six Effective Activities For Assisting With Motor Skills In Children NY Child Therapists Approve

By Ryan Butler


Kids develop at different rates. There are progress markers that will indicate whether your child is on target or lagging behind. Some parents start to panic when their little ones can't pick up a fork or spoon easily. Most kids who start slow catch up quickly by the time they get into preschool. There simple activities you can try that have proven effective in assisting with motor skills in children NY therapists recommend.

Kids love putty, and you can use it to help develop motor skills. Sitting beside your child, you should encourage him to roll the putty into worms by squeezing and stretching it. For kids who can handle safety scissors, cutting the putty into little pieces and putting it back together again in a ball helps increase dexterity and hand strength.

Finger painting is another activity most kids enjoy. It's something that works their hands and fingers. The chance to get messy is a bonus. If your little one enjoys painting, you might invest in a kid's easel, paper, paint, and brushes. Using brushes helps kids with hand and finger control. Painting is a less stressful activity than drawing letters or numbers.

With a sponge, water, and a couple of bowls, you can create a game that will help your child develop strength in his hands and fingers. You just fill pour water in one bowl, let the child soak the sponge in the water, and then transfer the watery sponge to the other bowl. You might introduce some chalk or paint, using a little vegetable oil, to create swirling colors when the youngster squeezes the sponge.

The rice race game is good for improving dexterity. You need rice grains, some bowls, and tweezers. Your objective is to move the rice from one bowl to the other without dropping it. The person who has the most rice in their bowl, when time's up, wins. The rice may be too small to handle for some children. If so, you can substitute cereal or wooden beads.

Scientific color mixing experiments is another game involving water and paint. For this one you will need some shallow bowls, water, food coloring, and an eye dropper. The child fills the dropper using the colored water in one bowl and transfers it to another one. In addition to developing motor skills, the game teaches children how to create different colors.

Planting seeds can be used to teach youngsters a number of valuable lessons. If you don't have room for a garden, you can always buy a couple of pots and plant seeds in them. Picking up the tiny seeds and planting them in soil is good for dexterity.

If you want to teach your child where his food comes from, you can plant herbs and vegetable instead of flowers. All of these activities help kids become more adept and coordinated using their hands. You have to be careful not to put undue pressure on your child to do everything your way instead of his.




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