Hello everyone, sorry I haven't been getting these posts written each week! Things have been crazy! Anyway, this week's 'Tiny Tot Tuesday' is all about fine motor (small muscles in your hands and fingers) skills and how to develop those! Developing these muscles is super important because it prepares your child for learning to hold a pencil and write, as well as so many other things! Below are some ideas to get your fine motor muscles engaged and have fun!
1. Stringing: Give your child a piece of yarn, string, ribbon or a pipe cleaner and have them string things! You can string beads, cereal, pasta or anything else that has a hole in the middle of it!
2. Play dough!
3. Tweezers or a chip clip: Give your child a pair of tweezers or a chip clip, a bowl of something small and an empty bowl and have them transfer objects from one bowl to the other using the tweezers!
4. Sensory tub: Fill a container with dry beans or rice and objects to use to pour and scoop and let them go to town!
5. Punching holes: Give your child a hole puncher and paper and let them punch holes however they want!
6. Squishy balls: Give your child a squishy ball to squeeze.
7. Pick up sticks: Dump out a small amount of a small object (cheerios, pom poms, beads) and have your child pick them up one at a time!
8. Pipe cleaners: Give your child several pipe cleaners to twist and play with!
9. Sponge: Give your child a sponge and have them wring it out!
10. Poke container: Take an old container with a plastic lid (like a baby puff container) and poke several holes in the lid. Give your child spaghetti noodles or pipe cleaners to push in the holes.
~Melissa McMinn, Coordinator, mother of 3 boys
