Fine Motor, Drawing & Writing
Fine Motor, Drawing, and Writing experiences support development of hand strength, bilateral coordination, and the ability to cross the midline – skills essential for becoming a competent writer. The following strategies support children to develop a proper grip for using a variety of mark-making tools, and foster the development of dexterity, fine motor control, and coordination needed to draw and write with detail and accuracy.
Working with children’s names is a highly motivating way to introduce children to letter naming and letter sound recognition.
Practicing drawing lines supports crossing the midline-moving from left to right
Learning to cut starts with ripping, then moves through snipping, fringe, straights lines and finally zig-zags and curves
Tearing paper is the precursor to cutting and supports fine motor development
Placing letters, words, numbers and shapes around the room is a fun and engaging away for children to practice recognizing, drawing and writing them
Cutting and shape punching are favorite fine motor activities that support strength, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, all while reinforcing content and building confidence.
Fine motor work is a wonderful way to support hand-eye coordination and develop muscle strength and dexterity for drawing and writing success. Use some of these ideas.
Offering a variety of materials and experiences to practice letter formation and writing provides access and engagement for diverse learners. Try tracing and micro writing.
Documentation is the story of what happened; and children can participate in documenting their work.