Here are some fun ways to use art to increase your child’s fine motor skills. ( And they probably won’t even realize they are working on these skills!)
1. Drawing a design.
Even though your child may struggle with writing they can still use the process of drawing to help them gain skills for holding and moving a pencil or writing utensil. Have your child hold a pencil or crayon and tell them to just have fun moving it all over the paper. Encourage them to experiment with creating waves, zigzags or whatever interesting movements they may come up with. This will create an interesting line design. This process will be fun and skills for holding a writing utensil will increase the more they do it. This can transfer into an increase in writing abilities down the road.
2. Creating a torn paper collage.
Find interesting papers with different designs and colors on them. Have the artist tear the paper into small medium and larger pieces. They will have interesting edges and shapes. Take another piece of paper and fill it with glue. Have the artist pick up and drop each piece of torn paper on the paper filled with glue. This will help develop skills for grasping and letting things go. It will also create a cool collage!
3. Using glue.
Who doesn’t love playing with glue? Show your artist how to use a glue bottle by squeezing it. Have them squeeze the glue bottle and show them how to move it at the same time. This will create interesting glue lines. Glue lines can go anywhere and be thick or thin. It may be challenging to keep the glue bottle moving and squeezing at the same time but kids love to keep trying to make their design more interesting. Once the paper is filled with glue lines take colored sand and have the artist pour sand over it. Sand can be placed in a plastic cup and the artist can pour the sand out. They can learn to go slow and control the cup for the amount of sand that comes out. An artist may have to practice these skills a few times but this is a fun way for them to learn and develop more fine motor skills.