Fine Motor Skills
Activities for Hand Development, Strengthening, and Coordination
 Roll play dough into balls using the palms of the hands facing each other and with fingers curled
slightly towards the palm. Cut play dough with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel by holding the
implement between thumb and index finger with palm facing down. Roll play dough into tiny
balls (peas) using only the finger tips.
 Use pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough.
 Tear newspaper into strips and then crumple them into balls. Use the paper to stuff scarecrow or
other art creation. Tear pieces of paper into small pieces using thicker paper as a more difficult
exercise and thinner paper as an easier exercise. Use the pieces to make a paper mosaic. Roll
small balls out of tissue paper then glue the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or
designs.
 Scrunch up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand. This is a super strength builder.
 Use a water bottle to spray plants (indoors or outdoors), to spray snow (mix food coloring with
water so that the snow can be painted), or melt "monsters". (Draw monster pictures with washable
markers on a mirror and the colors will run when sprayed.)
 Use a turkey baster to blow items (i.e., rolled up paper balls, cotton balls) across a table or floor.
Students can race or aim for a target.
 Pick up objects such as Cheerios, small cubes, small marshmallows, and pennies using large
tweezers or tongs. Use tongs or tweezers to hold a small piece of sponge for sponge painting.
 Shake dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms.
Transfer materials such as rice, beans, or dry macaroni from one container to another by scooping
with hands cupped.
 Encourage a twisting motion with the hands such as that performed when opening/closing a screw
top, using a screw driver, or twisting a door handle. To encourage more refined hand use, choose
smaller tools.
 Use eye droppers or infant’s medicine dispensers to "pick up" colored water for color mixing or to
make artistic designs on paper.
 Turn over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.
 Make pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.
 Play games with the "puppet fingers" -the thumb, index, and middle fingers. At circle time have
each child's puppet fingers tell about what happened over the weekend, or use them in songs and
finger plays.
Adapted from http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/schools/Beal/readiness/finemotoractivities.html
Handwriting
Handwriting
Legible handwriting requires the interaction of many motor skills such as trunk and shoulder stability,
elbow wrist and hand control, visual motor development, hand dominance, and hand development/grasp.
Pre-Handwriting Warm-Up Exercises:
 Mickey Mouse ears: place fists next to ears, squeeze, fingers open and close, 10-15 times
 Windshield Wipers: with arms above head, cross straight arms 10 times then put bottom arm over
top hand and do 10 more.
 Scissor cuts: with arms pointing down towards the floor and palms up, cross straight arms 10
times, put bottom arm over top and do 10 more.
 Shoulder shrugs: called the “I don’t knows” palms up shoulder shrugs towards ears, release,
complete 10-15 times.
 Throw aways: with elbows bent, fisted hands in front of shoulders, extend arms in a throwing
motion over the head, repeat 10-15 times
 Door knob turns: with arms in front of you, elbows slightly bent, four fingers right next to each
other, thumbs open, turn both hands toward thumbs at wrist, turn and return to midposition (not
towards little finger), 10-15 times.
 Good morning America: Hands hold opposite elbows, lift in a single motion over the head, return
to waist and repeat 10-15 times.
 Finger opposition: Hold fingers next to ears, have child touch thumb to each finger (i.e. pointer,
middle, ring, pinkie) and back again, 10-15 times
 Butterflies: Hold arms straight in front of body, make an X with thumbs, palms facing out, make
small circles 10 times to the right, then 10 times to the left.
 Paper airplanes and fans: emphasize creasing
 Play Dough/Clay/Putty: roll, pinch, flatten, pull, make shapes and letters
 Clothes pins: squeeze with thumb and first two fingers or glue a tongue depressor or popsicle stick
perpendicular to the clothes pin and squeeze the pin with thumb and all 4 fingers.
 Beading: use small beads as a more difficult fine motor exercise, thicker string for more finger
strengthening, or follow a color/shape pattern as a visual motor exercise.
 Do laundry: wring out wet wash clothes then hang them just overhead with clothes pins
 Lacing: use pre-fabricated lacing cards and different types of laces such as shoestrings, craft
string, ribbons, etc. Lacing cards can also be constructed using a heavy-duty paper such as
cardstock and punching holes in a pattern around the paper.
 Finger warm-ups: Practice with fingers drawing shapes, tracing, doing mazes, or coloring can
improve pencil control.
Handwriting Activities:
 Tracing: coloring book pictures, line dittos (starting with shorter straighter lines and progressing
to more complex lines), paper creases, templates, stencils
 Maze activities: Sand, shaving cream, salt, paint, pudding, etc can be used as simple mazes by
dragging 2 fingers through to make a simple design then have the student use their index finger to
follow along inside the design.
 Motor memory: use whole arm movements at the chalkboard, dry erase board or in the air.
Drawing letters in shaving cream, sand or on the back of the hand can facilitate the learning of
motor patterns for forming letters.
 Mystery writing: have the student close his eyes. An adult or other student holds the student’s
hand and writes a letter on the board or paper the then student has to guess the letter by the feel of
the movement. A letter can also be written on the student’s back using your finger. Move to
words as the student master letter identification.
 Letter and number production with materials: use pipe cleaners, play dough, yarn or other
materials to form letters then reproduce them on paper using the model.
 Ghost writing: practice writing like a ghost with faint stokes on paper with pencil or on the board
with chalk. This helps the student increase awareness of the amount of pressure being applied to
the writing utensil during writing.
 Rainbow writing: use chalk and a slate or on a chalkboard use multiple colors to draw and redraw
new letters and numbers. Draw a letter with chalk then trace over it with a small piece of wet
paper towel. The repetition will reinforce the motor pattern.
 Space helpers: use clothes pins, tongue depressors, popsicles sticks, wiki sticks or finger to assist
with spacing words on paper.
 Heavy pressure: use mechanical pencils with soft lead for students whose pencil pressure is too
hard. Erasable pens can assist students whose pressure is too light.
 Feedback: vibrating pens for letter practice can provide additional feedback and motivation. Use
of sand paper, cardboard, construction paper, folder or notebook under writing paper can give
added input for those who have poor pencil control or awareness. Writing on carpet with chalk can
also improve feedback.
Paper: It is important to note that not all children will be ready for the same sized lined paper because they
are the same age. Blue, ivory, or yellow paper with black lines is often recommended for children with
visual and/or perceptual delays. Raised lined paper can increase feedback for letter placement and
alignment.
Adapted from Fine Motor Solutions, Robin Cameron Unes
Scissor Skills
Scissor Skills
Cutting with scissors is a complex task that requires various skills such as fine motor/hand strength and
control, coordinated use of the right and left sides, and visual motor skills. Ideally a student is able to
perform the following before beginning scissor training:
Prerequisite Skills
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Open and close the hand independently
Use the hands in a lead/assist fashion
Isolate or combine movements of the thumb, index and middle fingers
Coordinate arm, hand and eye movements
Stabilize the proximal joints (those closest to the body such as shoulders)
Perform constructive play
Once a child demonstrates the prerequisite skills needed for cutting, they are ready to enter the
developmental stags of scissor use
Developmental Stages of Scissor Use
1.
2.
Shows interest in scissors by bringing the scissors to paper or imitating cutting with scissors.
Holds and manipulates scissors appropriately-isolates middle finger and thumb and inserts fingers
into loops stabilizing the lower loop with the index finger and resting the loops near the middle
joints of the fingers.
3. Opens and closes scissors in a controlled fashion—no need to use paper at this time.
4. Cuts in short random snips.
5. Manipulates scissors in a forward motion-provide heavier papers first.
6. Later scissor movement- practice cutting in wide lines first.
7. Cuts a straight, forward line
8. cuts a simple geometric shape-straight, angled, and curved
9. cuts simple figure shapes
10. Cuts complex figure shapes
11. cuts non-paper items
Activities to Encourage Scissor Skills
 Tong play: Open/close tongs, pick up items and place in a designated spot, stack blocks with
tongs, paint with cotton balls held with tongs
 Squeeze toys: use squirt guns, turkey basters or other water squeeze toys and squirt water at
bubbles, crape paper, in shaving cream, etc…
 Hole punch: punch random holes in various types of paper or cut on drawn dots
 Guides: Use craft sticks, yarn, sandpaper to act as a guide or cue for the student if they go off line.
Cues: Glue strips of paper or draw diagonal lines and work on cutting diagonals, punch a line of
holes and cut along the punches. Stick gumdrops or marshmallows at the end of a paper and have
the student cut across the paper to the candy (they can eat the candy when they’re finished!)
 Cut straws, pipe cleaners and heavy papers in the beginning to assist with learning scissor skills
 Use thicker paper for beginning cutters and thinner paper for more advanced cutters. The
following papers are in order from easiest (thickest) to most difficult(thinnest): oak tag, index
cards, construction paper, brown paper bags, regular paper, wax paper, foil, onion skin.
Adapted from Pre Scissor Skills, Therapy Skill Builders
Gross Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor activities help to improve general body awareness, coordination, motor planning, balance,
endurance and strength.
Balancing (develops control and coordination through two - sided activity.)
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Walk along chalk line, string line or narrow board.
Tiny tracks - paths made from placing unit blocks, carpet strips, etc.
Use a balance beam. Vary the levels (inclined, declined), type of board etc.
Climbing steps/ stairs/ step ladders and walking on knees with hands in the air.
Crawling (develops coordination - laterality, synchronizes right and left body sides)
 Treasure Hunt - crawl to find hidden objects
 Crawl through an obstacle course - through (boxes, tires, pipes, hoops, tunnel) under objects
(table, large fixed equipment, rug/sheet, chairs, rope, ladder) around objects (tree, box, chair, fixed
apparatus) over objects (pillow, box, mattress, mat.)
 "Follow the line," set up a string line or chalk line for children to crawl along.
 "Follow the leader," crawl behind someone, create an obstacle course. Obstacles can be set up to
include crawling under/over/around/through objects, walking on a line or balance beam, walking
between two lines, jumping from one spot to another, and jumping over objects, walking heal to
toe, walking sideways/backwards, hopping on one or both feet, galloping, skipping, or animal
walking.
 "Floor map," crawl over large floor map with roads, rivers, etc.
 Animal Walks: This activity can be played by pretending to be any type of animal. For example:
child can pretend to be an elephant by using their arms for the trunk, child can crab walk on hands
and feet in front, bear crawl with hands and feet in back, donkey kick by being on hands and knees
and having child kick his/her leg out in back one at a time, and be a rabbit hops by hopping on
both feet.
Playground Play
 Crossing the monkey bars
 Going up and down slides
 Swinging on the swings
 Crawling through tunnels
 Hopscotch
 Jump rope activities
Climbing (strengthens muscles, develops posture, gives opportunities for viewing environment from
different perspectives)
 Climb over, up, down boxes, ladders, planks, logs, etc.
 Up/down steps
 Along an obstacle course using a variety of equipment of differing heights etc.
Hopping (helps gain body control and balance)
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Around obstacles - boxes, trees, reels, tires, fixed equipment hoops
Hop into/out of hoops
Hop along stepping stones
Make patterns on the ground of shapes, colors, dots. Hop on one color, dot etc.
Ladder painted on ground - children hop along it
Jumping (develops overall gross motor skills - coordination)
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Over objects - string, line, magazine, bean bag
Jumping obstacle course, low boards, string, blocks, logs, boxes etc.
Jump up to touch/reach suspended objects, leaves, balloons, toy etc.
Stand and jump from one pace to another, from shape to shape
Jump on mattresses, tires, large tractor tubes, trampolines
Ball Activities
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Sit on a large therapeutic ball and bounce up and down
Lay on his/her back over the ball
Roll front and back with his/her stomach on the ball and arms outstretched in front for support
Do pushups while legs are supported on the ball.
Kicking a ball: Start off by placing ball directly in front of them, then the ball can be rolled
towards them at different distances. Also try having the child run up to a ball and kick it in an
open area or towards a target such as pins. Note: Smaller balls present more of a challenge then
larger balls.
 Throwing and catching a ball: Have the child bounce a ball and catch it, throw and catch a ball
with you, bounce a ball to a wall and catch it, throw a ball at a target on a wall, catch a ball with a
box or net, roll a ball up a slide, or roll a ball towards a target or pins as if bowling.
 Modified Baseball Activities: Set up a mini baseball field using various objects as markers for the
bases. The bat should preferably be made of soft rubber/foam material. Different objects can be
pitched to the children such as foam balls, bean bags, rubber balls, etc.
Pushing - Pulling (Develops control over objects and body awareness)
 Tug of war
 Pushing a heavy cart
 Complete an obstacle course on a hobby horse
Rolling (Body rolling develops awareness of relationship between upper and lower body and pivot points of
neck and feet. Rolling objects develops coordination)
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Balls using feet/foot
Balls using hand/s
Hoop using hands
Body on mat - 'log rolling' forward, backward rolls.
Running
 Around an obstacle course
 On the spot/on the toes
 With hands on head/hips/behind back etc.
Skipping
 Around objects
 In circle games
 To music with variety of rhythms
Turning, twisting, bending
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Inside hoop - turn, twist, bend to reach things outside hoop
Use different body parts as a base
Doing 'tricks' inside a hoop/on a mat
Using mats for somersaults, rolling etc.
Walking/stepping
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In and out of circles, hoops, tires, outlines
Along a line (chalk), piece of string etc.
On wide surfaces gradually becoming narrower
Use a rope or string to guide children through a maze
Following cut outs or painted footsteps etc.
Walking to different music tempos
Scooter Board Activities
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Child lies on stomach and pushes primarily with their arms.
Sitting upright and pushing with legs
Sitting or laying on back and pulling a rope with arms
Items can be scattered throughout the room and the child can move on the scooter to pick up the
item then move again to place them in a designated spot.
Visual Perception
Visual Perception
Visual perception is a complex skill required for success in the classroom setting. Following is a
description of the components of visual perception, their relevance to the classroom setting and suggested
activities for improving visual-perceptual skills.
Visual Discrimination: The ability to differentiate one object from another.
Importance for reading and writing: Gives the ability to visually discriminate letters and words in order to
learn how to read. When a student is reading, visual discrimination must take place at all times.
Visual Memory: The integration of visual information and the ability to retain the information in memory
for immediate recall (short-term memory) or for later retrieval (long-term memory)
Importance for reading and writing: Allows students to recall and comprehend letters and words in order to
write and read.
Visual Spatial-Relationships: The ability to interpret the position of one object in relation to others,
ability to distinguish left from right and position in space. Spatial relations include qualities like size,
distance, volume, order, and time.
Importance for reading and writing: Allows students to recognize the placement of letters in a word and of
words in a sentence for reading and writing comprehension. (for example: The order of letters and numbers
makes meaning such as “on” versus “no”, “saw” versus “was” and “angel” versus “angle”).
Visual Form Constancy: The ability to recognize shapes, forms and objects regardless of size, color,
positions, or angle from which they are viewed.
Importance for reading and writing: Gives a student the ability to identify a letter whether it is typed,
written in manuscripts, written in cursive, or written in upper/lower-case letters. Also, enable a student to
discriminate between numbers, letters, and words that are similar such as b/d and was/saw.
Visual Sequential-Memory: The ability to recognize and remember the order of letters, forms and objects
in a specific sequence.
Importance for reading and writing: Gives students the ability to identify, recognize and chunk letters and
words into groups for reading and writing comprehension; facilitates copying from a book or from the
board.
Visual Figure Ground: The ability to separate and visually attend to specific forms or objects from
distracting surrounding information and to attend to one aspect of a visual field. For example, a student
finding a pencil in a box full of pens.
Importance for reading and writing: Allows students to focus on a particular word in order to read and
write a sentence.
Visual Closure: The identification of forms or objects from incomplete presentations or arrangements.
The ability to recognize objects, shapes, and forms by mentally completing the image.
Importance for reading and writing: Gives students the ability to identify which letters
have been formed completely.
Visual Perceptual Activities
Visual
Discrimination
Sort by
Category
Read and
circle all the
a’s in a
paragraph,
etc…
Perfection
Geoboards
Wheel of
Fortune
Map
Activities/Floor
Maps
Obstacle
Courses
Reversal Flash
Cards
Simon Says
Copy forms
alternating
from vertical
to horizontal
surface
Where’s
Waldo/I Spy
Mazes
Word Search
Color hidden
shapes in the
picture
Dot to Dot
Color/Paint by
number
Puzzles and
Form Boards
Tangrams
Complete the
Picture
Find the one
that doesn’t
belong
High Contrast
Memory
Games
Video Games
Shape Sorters
Visual
Figure
Ground
Visual
Closure
Visual
Spatial
Relationships
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Visual
Memory
Visual
Sequential
Memory
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X
Visual
Form
Constancy
Visual
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Visual Motor
Integration
VISUAL MOTOR INTEGRATION AND SUGGESTED INTERVENTIONS
Definition: Visual motor integration, control, and eye hand coordination are all terms
that could be used interchangeably and can be defined as the ability to coordinate visual
information with the motor output for precise visual guidance of movement. (Kristin
Johnon Levine, M.S.Ed, OTR, Fine Motor Dysfunction: Therapeutic Strategies in the
Classroom).
Consequences of Visual Motor Dysfunction:
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Difficulty copying from the board
Sloppy writing or drawing
Poor spacing
Poor online orientation
Excessive erasures
Accurate responses orally but not in writing
Unable to complete written assignments in allotted time
Knows material but fails tests
Difficulty lining up math in columns
Intervention Techniques for Visual Motor Integration Deficits
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Treat fine motor problems if they are present and if warranted, consult an
occupational therapist for fine motor and handwriting issues
Occulomotor Pad or workbook with different fine motor tasks
Visual tracing progressing to activities of increasing difficulty (straight lines,
wavy lines, simple forms)
Maze activities
Adapted coloring activities
o outlining the picture for the student with a bold color or glue, having the
student outline then color
o Using templates to provide boundaries
o Coloring over textures such as cardboard, sandpaper, yarn or any other
bumpy surface
o Using thicker paper or gluing paper to the back of the design being
colored
o Rub art
o Utilizing a variety of implements such as markers, crayons, or paint
brushes
o Using toys such as a magnadoodle
Cutting tasks (assuming all prerequisite skills are present) progressing from
simple (i.e., short and thick lines on thick paper) to more complex (complex forms
on thin paper).
Adapted writing tasks
o Tracing pictures and line/alphabet/number dittos with finger, marker, glue,
glitter pens, crayons, etc…
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o Folding paper and trace in folds
o Trace inside or outside of templates emphasizing the use of one hand for
tracing and the other for stabilizing the template
o Writing, drawing, coloring, painting, copying, or stencil on a vertical
surface
o Maze activities using various textures to make the mazes (shaving cream,
salt paint, pudding, cornmeal, etc…)
o Place textured paper under the student’s paper (i.e., sandpaper) to increase
the amount of feedback received
o Carpet writing by placing a piece of paper over carpet and allowing the
student to write with a crayon, marker, or writing on the carpet with a
finger
Spacing adaptations
o The student should be able to discriminate between correctly and
incorrectly spaced words prior to working on writing with correct spacing
o Popsicle sticks, paper with spacer lines (available at Eraser Dust), stickers,
finger, graph paper copying correctly spaced words
Online orientation
o Raised lined paper
o Bold lines
o Vertical line drawing
o Different shades of paper
o Highlighting between lines
Stringing beads, threading a needle, catching a ball, staying on the writing line,
tying shoes, dressing, opening/closing fasteners, ball games and sports
Good toys for Visual Motor Development
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Etch-a-Sketch
Lite Brite
Magnet Mazes
Maze Books
Dot-to-dot books
Peg Boards
Stringing Beads
Target Games
Ball Games
Magnadoodle
Lacing Cards
Pick up Sticks
Jacks
Tennis
Badminton
Perfection
Operation
Fleas on Fred
OCCUPATIONAL AND PHYSICAL THERAPIES
School Based Therapy
Occupational and Physical Therapy services in the school setting are designed to enhance
the students’ ability to fully access and be successful in the learning environment; to
facilitate a student’s functioning in the school setting. The goal of educationally relevant
therapy is to minimize the effects of the student’s handicapping condition on his/her
ability to participate in the educational process.
Related Services
In the school setting, occupational and physical therapy services are considered to be
“related services”. They are supportive services meant to assist a child with a disability
benefit from special education. Related services provide support within the instructional
setting for those who are primarily responsible for ensuring the success of the student in
the academic setting. Related services are usually provided on a monthly basis. They
must be educationally relevant and the type, frequency and duration of therapy are
individualized and dependent upon the needs of each student.
Intervention Target Areas
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Mobility and transfer skills
Activities of Daily Living or self-care skills
Adaptive equipment
Wheelchair fitting, adjustments, and recommendations
Orthotic/prosthetic evaluation, fitting, adjustments and recommendations
Balance, strength and endurance
Identification and overcoming of architectural barriers
Positioning
Gross and fine motor skills
Sensory processing skills
Assistive technology
Family and staff education
Physician and home visits
Diagnoses that may qualify students for therapy
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida
Autism, Fragile X, Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett Syndrome
Muscular Dystrophy
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Other
*these diagnoses do not automatically qualify a student for services. Each student that is
referred for an evaluation is assessed on an individual basis and determination is made
based upon the results of the evaluation.
Referral versus Non-Referral
-Referral
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Physical malformations
Difficulties with bilateral coordination
Difficulties participating in peer-level activities
Difficulties manipulating age-appropriate objects
Difficulties with stairs or uneven terrain
Difficulty with motoric function
Excessive falls
Difficulty with letter formation/orientation that is not age appropriate
Significant problems with writing
-Non-Referral
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Penmanship
Emotional Disorders
“Awkward” students
Cognitive basis for delay
A student who is doing well and wants to do better
Medical need for therapy (as opposed to educational need)
Vision deficits without perceptual or motor deficits
The following information and activity packet was compiled by the Socorro
Independent School District Occupational and Physical Therapy Department.