Notes from Therapy: Ways to Improve Motor Skills at Home! by Rachel Vig, Occupational Therapist

Greetings from the therapy department! This month the occupational therapists wanted to give you some ways to improve your child’s fine and gross motor skills that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. Fine motor skills require using the small muscles of the hands and fingers and assist with activities such as handwriting and completing clothing fasteners. Gross motor skills use the larger muscles in the body and assist with activities such as jumping, running, and throwing.

Fine Motor Activities:

• Encourage your child to complete his or her own clothing fasteners independently. Depending on the difficulty of the fastener, you may need to provide some assistance.

• Give your child a pair of tongs or blunt tweezers to use to eat a snack such as small crackers, grapes, or cereal.

• Ask your child to manually sharpen the pencils you have at home.

• When you arrive at home, encourage your child to unlock the door using the key. Or if you have a keyless entry, ask your child to unlock a cupboard or drawer.

• If you use twist ties or clips to keep food fresh, ask your child to put on or remove these items. You can also encourage your child to open small containers or zip lock bags.  

Gross Motor Activities:

• While waiting in line, see how long your child can balance on one foot.

• Ask your child to help carry in grocery items that are appropriate for his or her size and strength.

• While walking to school, encourage your child to skip, hop, or gallop part of the way.

• While cooking or baking, ask your child to help stir thickened mixtures such as dough.

• When you are finished with a piece of paper, ask your child to crumple it and try to throw it into the bin.