Top 20 Activities to Develop Motor Skills for Kindergarten

Fine motor skills form the educational foundation, which determines a child’s ability to perform academically and manage daily life activities. But what exactly are fine motor skills, and how can they be improved in early childhood?

It’s time to unveil the concept of fine motor skills for early childhood, the following article presents a well-selected list of 15 engaging activities to enhance such milestone abilities.

Let’s dive deeper to understand more!

What Are Fine Motor Skills in Early Childhood?

Fine motor coordination is defined by small muscle movements of the hands, wrists, and fingers closely linked with mental activities involving the brain and nerves. How well the children are at motor skills also affects their educational achievement, and daily living as well.

Motor skills are fundamental to academic success. A child who struggles with using a pencil may face challenges in writing or drawing as well.

Motor skills are fundamental to academic success. A child who struggles with using a pencil may face challenges in writing or drawing as well.

As a result, the limitations above can negatively affect both everyday functioning and academic performance.

Activities for Birth to 1-Year-Old Children

The initial year offers an exceptional opportunity to establish a solid foundation in fine motor skills. Here are five activities that allow children to explore and develop this skill area.

1. Grasp and hold the rattle for 30 seconds

• Parent Support:
  • Provide rattles that are brightly colored and lightweight with handles that can be easily grasped.
  • Put the rattle gently into the baby’s hand, encouraging them to close fingers around it.
  • Shake the toy up and down while making faces at your baby to attract his attention towards it.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 2 months, infants should be able to grasp and hold a rattle for 30 seconds independently. This achievement signifies developing hand strength, coordination, and the ability to focus on an object for a sustained period.

2. Pull string to obtain a toy

• Parent Support:
  • Provide toys with attached strings that make noise or light up when pulled.
  • Demonstrate the action: hold the toy just out of reach and gently pull the string so that it moves forward.
  • Encourage the baby to reach for the string and guide their hand to grasp and pull.
• Expected Goal:
  • Babies between 5 months and 5 years old should be able to pull a string independently to return their toy. Pulling on a string enhances an infant’s problem-solving skills and involves grasping activities, hand-eye coordination, and understanding cause-effect sequencing.

3. Clap hands with cues

• Parent Support:
  • Begin by gently clapping the baby’s hands together while saying, “clap, clap, clap!”
  • As they become familiar with the action, clap your own hands and encourage them to imitate you.
  • Celebrate their attempts with smiles and praise.
• Expected Goal:
  • With consistent practice, infants may start clapping with cues (verbal or visual) by 9-10 months. Clapping promotes coordination, strengthens social interaction skills, and fosters a sense of accomplishment through positive reinforcement.

4. Use pincer grasp for small objects 9 months

• Parent Support:
  • Offer the baby a variety of small, safe objects with different textures (crinkly paper, teething rings).
  • Demonstrate picking up objects with a pincer grasp, narrating your actions.
  • Allow them to explore the objects freely, providing gentle guidance when needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 9 months, infants should be able to use a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. Mastering allows for finer manipulation of objects, which is essential for future tasks like self-feeding, writing, and dressing.

5. Insert 3/3 shapes correctly in a puzzle

• Parent Support:
  • Choose a simple puzzle with large, easy-to-grasp shapes.
  • Demonstrate inserting the shapes into the correct slots, and talking about the shapes and colors.
  • Encourage the baby to explore the shapes and puzzle pieces freely.
  • Celebrate successful attempts and offer help without taking over.
• Expected Goal:
  • Inserting 3 out of 3 shapes correctly may take closer to 20 months, as it’s a more complex skill. Completing a shape sorter puzzle strengthens hand-eye coordination, visual processing, and problem-solving abilities.

Activities for 1 to 2-Year-Old Children.

The development of fine motor skills follows a sequential path. While proficiency in tasks needed for motor skills for early childhood may seem far off for 1-2-year-olds, these 5 activities effectively target the underlying foundational skills.

6. Scribble

• Parent Support:
  • Provide large crayons or chunky pencils that are easy for small hands to grasp.
  • Show your child how to hold the writing tool with a tripod grip (thumb and two fingers).
  • Offer large sheets of paper to encourage free exploration and movement.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 14 months, toddlers should be able to hold a writing tool and make uncontrolled marks on paper. This initial exploration helps develop the foundation for future controlled movements.

7. Build a tower of 5 blocks

• Parent Support:
  • Start with large, lightweight blocks that are easy to handle.
  • Demonstrate building a tower of 2-3 blocks, narrating your actions.
  • Encourage your child to imitate you and offer support as needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 19 months, they should be able to build a tower of 4-5 blocks. Building taller structures requires more focus, dexterity, and problem-solving skills.

8. Remove Socks

• Parent Support:
  • Choose socks with loose elastic bands that are easy to pull off.
  • Demonstrate how to remove socks by gently pulling them off your own feet.
  • Guide your child’s hand as they start to grasp and remove their socks.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 12 months, toddlers may begin to show an interest in removing their socks with some assistance. This initial attempt demonstrates their growing independence and desire for self-care.

9. Turn the pages of a book

• Parent Support:
  • Choose sturdy board books with thick pages that are easy for toddlers to turn.
  • Sit with your child and turn the pages together, pointing out pictures and talking about the story.
  • Encourage your child to hold the book and gently turn the pages independently.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 20 months, they should be able to turn pages one at a time using a finger or thumb. Mastering this skill allows them to explore books independently and engage with the stories at their own pace.

10. Imitate vertical strokes

• Parent Support:
  • Use large crayons or markers on a vertical surface like an easel or chalkboard.
  • Demonstrate drawing vertical lines with slow, controlled movements.
  • Encourage your child to imitate your strokes and offer praise for their efforts.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 2 years, they should be able to imitate vertical strokes with some guidance. This signifies developing control over their hand movements and lays the foundation for future drawing skills.

Activities for 2 to 3-Year-Old Children

The transition from preschool to kindergarten places new demands on a child’s motor skills for early childhood. The following section will present five activities that effectively target the development of these skills in 2 to 3-year-olds.

11. String two beads

• Parent Support:
  • Provide large, colorful beads with holes that are easy for small hands to grasp.
  • Use a shoelace or pipe cleaner threaded with a few beads to demonstrate the action.
  • Show your child how to hold one bead and guide the string through the hole of another.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 28 months, toddlers should be able to string two beads independently. This accomplishment signifies a refined pincer grasp and improved hand-eye coordination.

12. Build 3 block train and bridge

• Parent Support:
  • Use a variety of block sizes and shapes to encourage creativity.
  • Demonstrate building a simple train with three blocks and a bridge connecting two surfaces.
  • Encourage your child to imitate you and offer help as needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 3 years, toddlers can build a simple train with three blocks and attempt to construct a bridge. This demonstrates their ability to plan a sequence and incorporate multiple elements into their creations.

13. Imitate and copy a circle

• Parent Support:
  • Use large crayons or markers on paper.
  • Demonstrate drawing a circle with slow, controlled movements, narrating your actions (round, like a ball).
  • Encourage your child to imitate your drawing and offer praise for their efforts.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 3 years, they should be able to copy a circle with moderate accuracy. This signifies developing visual-motor skills and the ability to translate visual information into hand movements.

14. Complete a 9-12 piece inset puzzle

• Parent Support:
  • Choose a puzzle with 9-12 pieces that are large and easy for toddlers to grasp.
  • Start by completing the puzzle together, demonstrating how the pieces fit.
  • Gradually encourage your child to complete sections independently, offering help when needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 3 years, toddlers should be able to complete a simple 9-12 piece inset puzzle independently. This accomplishment signifies improved visual processing, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination.

15. Put on shoes

• Parent Support:
  • Choose shoes with easy-to-grip closures like velcro or loafers.
  • Demonstrate putting on your shoes, and narrating your actions.
  • Guide your child’s hand as they start to grasp the shoe and position their foot.
• Expected Goal:
  • By the end of the 3rd year, they should be able to put on shoes with simple closures independently. Mastering this skill fosters a sense of accomplishment and self-reliance.

Activities for 4 to 6-Year-Old Children

Following a developmental approach, this section will explore 5 engaging activities specifically designed to enhance motor skills for early childhood (4-6 year olds).

16. Stack 10-11 blocks

• Parent Support:
  • Provide a variety of blocks in different sizes and textures.
  • Demonstrate building a tall tower of 6-8 blocks, narrating your thought process.
  • Encourage your child to build their tower and offer help with balance if needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • By 4 to 4.5 years, they may be able to build even taller structures, reaching 10-11 blocks. This signifies an increased ability to plan, problem-solve, and maintain balance.

17. Copy a square

• Parent Support:
  • Provide large paper, crayons, and a simple square template.
  • Demonstrate tracing the square with your child, talking about the lines and corners.
  • Encourage them to copy the square on their own, offering guidance as needed.
• Expected Goal:
  • They should be able to copy a square with recognizable corners and sides. This demonstrates improved visual perception and the ability to translate visual information into motor movements.

18. Complete a 6-12 piece puzzle

• Parent Support:
  • Choose puzzles with 6-8 pieces and large, easy-to-grab pieces.
  • Start by completing the puzzle together, demonstrating how the pieces fit.
  • Gradually increase the difficulty as your child masters each level.
• Expected Goal:
  • By ages 4 to 5, they should be able to tackle puzzles with 6-12 pieces. This signifies progress in visual processing, problem-solving abilities, and hand-eye coordination.

19. Put shoes on the correct feet

• Parent Support:
  • Label shoes with a small mark (dot or sticker) on the inside of the correct foot.
  • Demonstrate putting on shoes, emphasizing the left and right distinction.
  • Guide your child’s hand as they start to practice, offering praise for their efforts.
• Expected Goal:
  • By age 5, they should be able to put on shoes independently, differentiating between the left and right foot.

20. Know the front/back of clothing

• Parent Support:
  • Point out the front and back of your child’s clothing during dressing routines.
  • Explain the difference between the design on the front and any tags or seams on the back.
  • Encourage them to identify the front and back of their clothes before putting them on.
• Expected Goal:
  • By age 6, they should be able to consistently identify the front and back of most clothing items, dressing themselves more independently.

Improving Fine Motor Skills in Early Childhood

Having established the importance of fine motor skills, we can now explore specific strategies to equip motor skills for early childhood.

Create Creative Activities

Fine motor skills are fundamental for early childhood children, forming the base for future learning.

The Arts program at ISHCMC strengthens these skills through creative activities and fine motor skills, such as playing music, drawing, painting, and experimenting with various art materials. This program fosters hand-eye coordination, grasp strength, and finger dexterity in a fun way.

Practice Daily

Daily routines offer numerous opportunities for fine motor skill development.

Encouraging early childhood children to dress independently, assisting with meal preparation, and engaging in self-care tasks all contribute. These activities refine hand movements and build muscle memory for more complex skills.

Support From Teachers and Educators

Early childhood educators create a safe and stimulating environment where children can experiment with movement, and teachers’ encouragement helps build confidence as motor skills develop.

At ISHCMC, our teachers and educators support the fine motor skills development of children through instructions and encouragement. They identify challenges and provide personalized strategies. EAL teachers also offer additional support for students whose native language is not English.

By incorporating engaging activities, encouraging daily practice, and providing targeted support, educators empower children for academic success.

Fostering Motor Skills in Young Learners with ISHCMC

Fostering strong fine motor skills for early childhood children can greatly impact their academic and overall development.

ISHCMC’s play-based curriculum provides a nurturing environment where children can develop their fine motor skills through engaging activities. Our focus on development sets them up for success in future academic endeavors.

By incorporating the fun and engaging activities outlined above, educators and parents can effectively support the development of these essential skills.

Fine motor skills for early childhood are the building blocks for tasks like writing, drawing, and self-care. If you’re looking for a program designed to nurture these skills and prepare your child for a successful kindergarten experience, look no further than ISHCMC. Contact ISHCMC today to learn more about our programs and how we can help your child thrive.