AGES 3+
Basic Beginnings
CD-704171
FINE MOTOR
SKILLS
AGES
Basic Beginnings
FINE MOTOR
Basic Beginnings: FINE MOTOR SKILLS
This is where the learning begins! The Basic Beginnings series is an
essential and fun resource designed to make learning engaging
for your child. Fine Motor Skills includes five levels of colorful and
stimulating activities that gradually challenge your child’s little
fingers. As your child colors, traces, cuts, and glues through Fine
Motor Skills he or she improves:
• Hand-eye coordination
• Writing control
• Scissor and glue skills
• Creative expression
The learning continues! Explore more titles in the
Basic Beginnings series:
+
3
SKILLS
Includes
three mini
books to
color, cut out,
and share!
• Fun activities to color,
trace, cut, and glue
• Promotes learning
and fine motor control
• Includes colors,
shapes, counting,
and writing
Early Writing Practice
Same & Different
Following Directions
Counting & Sequencing
Fundamental Skills
U.S. $5.95
carsondellosa.com
704171 CO.indd 1
MADE IN THE USA
EAN
ISBN-13: 978-1-60996-890-8
carsondellosa.com/spectrum
7/9/19 10:57 AM
Basic Beginnings
FINE MOTOR
SKILLS
Published by Spectrum®
an imprint of Carson-Dellosa Publishing LLC
Greensboro, NC
Spectrum
An imprint of Carson-Dellosa Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 35665
Greensboro, NC 27425-5665
©2012, Carson-Dellosa Publishing, LLC. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright
Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or distributed in any form or by any means
(mechanically, electronically, recording, etc.) without the prior written consent of Carson-Dellosa
Publishing, LLC. Spectrum is an imprint of Carson-Dellosa Publishing LLC.
carsondellosa.com
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Welcome to Basic Beginnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction to Fine Motor Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 6
Developmental Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Level 1: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . . . 8–16
Mini Book: “Me Too!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17–20
Level 1: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Level 2: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . . 22–34
Mini Book: “Ray and May Blue Jay” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35–38
Level 2: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . 39, 40
Level 3: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . 41–48
Level 4: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . 49–54
Mini Book: “What Did You Make?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55–58
Level 5: Coloring, Tracing, Cutting, Gluing. . . . . . . . . . 59–64
3
Fine Motor Skills
Welcome to Basic Beginnings
Basic Beginnings is a creative and developmentally appropriate series designed to
fuel your child’s learning potential. The early years of your child’s life are bursting
with cognitive and physical development. Therefore, it is essential to prepare your
child for the basic skills and fine motor skills that are emphasized in the 21st century
classroom. Basic skills include concepts such as recognizing letters, numbers, colors,
shapes, and identifying same, different, and sequences of events. Fine motor skills are
movements produced by small muscles or muscle groups, such as the precise hand
movements required to write, cut, glue, and color. A child in preschool spends a lot of
his or her day developing these muscles.
Basic Beginnings approaches learning through a developmentally appropriate
process—ensuring your child is building the best foundation possible for preschool.
Each activity is unique and fun, and stimulates your child’s fine motor skills, hand-eye
coordination, and ability to follow directions. Help your child complete the activities
in this book. Each activity includes simple, step-by-step instructions. Provide your child
with pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue for the various and creative activities he or
she is about to discover.
Each book also includes three cutout mini books that reinforce the concepts your
child is learning. You and your child will enjoy reading these simple stories together.
Your child can make each story his or her own by coloring it, cutting it out, and, with
your help, stapling the story together. Allow him or her to share the stories with you
and others. Your child will begin to recognize sight words, hear vowel sounds, and
understand sequences of events as he or she shares these delightful stories. With Basic
Beginnings, the learning is never confined to the pages!
4
Fine Motor Skills
Introduction to Fine Motor Skills
Strengthening visual discrimination and fine motors skills are critical elements in a young
child’s progress toward learning to read and write. The ability to visually distinguish
between objects—eventually differentiating between letters and words—is essential to
reading readiness. Your child is also at the age where he or she is gaining more control
of small muscles, including hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. However,
developing the fine motor skills needed to write requires time and plenty of practice. Fine
Motor Skills provides a wide variety of engaging activities to increase visual discrimination
and fine motor skills that will help build a foundation for your child’s early literary success.
This workbook is divided into five levels of skill difficulty. Each type of activity—coloring,
tracing, cutting, and gluing—moves from simple to more complex. The following are a
few examples of each skill’s progression:
• C
oloring activities start with fun and simple objects and gradually progress to
more complicated scenes with color keys to help your child begin to recognize
familiar color words.
• T racing activities have your child follow straight lines, help a mouse find cheese
in a simple maze, and finish shapes and figures, including the creation of a self
portrait!
• C
utting activities begin with the short straight cuts of adding fringe to a rug, move
to the angled lines of a bike race route, and, in level five, follow the spiral of a
snail’s shell.
• G
luing activities challenge children as they accurately position and glue cutouts to
complete simple scenes, several-piece puzzles, and even their very own robot!
Fine Motor Skills also includes fun tips to introduce your child to each skill in this book.
Tips to Teach Coloring Skills
• Use glue to trace around the edge of a picture and let it dry. This will provide a
raised boarder, which makes it easier for your child to color within the lines. He or
she can then color the picture with crayons, markers, or paint.
Gritty finger paint
You will need:1 cup flour, 1 cup water, food coloring, 1–1 12– cups of salt or sand, mixing
bowl, and paper
What to do: Combine the flour with the salt or sand. Add the water and stir until mixed. Add
the coloring until you achieve the desired color. Allow your child to finger paint with this
textured paint.
5
Fine Motor Skills
Introduction to Fine Motor Skills
Tips to Teach Tracing Skills
• Break or sharpen pencils down to about 2 inches in length. This will encourage
small hands to hold it properly.
• Allow your child to begin writing on a vertical surface—such as chalkboards,
easels, wipe off boards, or flannel boards.
Rainbow Writing
You will need: paper with various shapes drawn on it, several colors of crayons
What to do: Provide your child with a page of shapes, letters, numbers, or designs on it.
Have him or her trace over the images several times, using a different color crayon
for each shape.
Tips to Teach Cutting Skills
• Make sure you have a good pair
of scissors that were designed to
properly fit a child’s hand.
• Discuss scissor safety­­—no running,
always cut while sitting, when
walking with scissors, point the blade
down.
• Allow your child to practice
opening and closing the scissors
before cutting any paper. Then, let
him or her cut scrap paper freely.
Snipping Funny Shapes
You will need: scissors, clear contact
paper, and colorful construction paper
What to do: Let your child enjoy cutting
the construction paper in all shapes and
sizes. Cut out and remove the backing on
an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of clear contact
paper. When the child has a small pile of
colorful shapes, he or she can stick them
to the contact paper. When finished, stick
the contact paper on another sheet of
paper. Hang up the work of art!
Tips to Teach Gluing Skills
• To gain the control needed
to squeeze a glue bottle,
allow your child to practice
squeezing objects such as:
tweezers, hole punches,
empty plastic bottles, and
clothespins.
• Add a colorful powdered
1
drink mix to 4– cup of your
child’s glue. The glue will not
only smell great, but it will be
colorful and glossy when it
dries. This is a great sensory
activity.
Puffy Glue
You will need: shaving cream, glue,
food coloring, craft stick, paper
What to do: Mix equal parts of
shaving cream with glue. You can
add food coloring for color, if
desired. Use a craft stick to stir and
put the puffy glue on the paper. The
mixture will puff up when it dries.
6
Fine Motor Skills
Developmental Checklist
Between Ages of Two and Three:
r Copies a cross and a square
r Can independently button and unbutton
r Uses dominant hand with better
rImitates circular scribble and horizontal
and vertical lines
r Builds a tower of 6 blocks
rHolds crayon with thumb and fingers (not
coordination
Able to do 6–10 piece puzzles
Can print some uppercase letters
Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
Holds writing tools with three fingers –
control increasing
Dresses and undresses independently –
managing buttons and zippers
No longer switches hands in the middle of
an activity
Builds a 6 block pyramid
r
r
r
r
fist)
Snips with scissors
Puts tiny objects in small containers
Folds paper in half
Pulls toys with strings
Strings 1 to 4 large beads
Uses a spoon
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r Turns single pages of a book
r
r One hand begins to be dominant
r Paints with some wrist action
r Pounds, rolls, pulls, and squeezes play dough Between Ages of Five and Six:
r Bounces and catches balls
Between Ages of Three and Four:
r Builds a tower of 12 blocks
r Can build 3 steps from 6 blocks
r Builds a tower of 9 blocks
rDraws angles, triangles, and other
r Snips with scissors
geometric shapes
r Completes a 5–6 piece puzzle
rDraws a complete person with a head,
r Holds a crayon with three fingers
body, legs, arms, and a face
r Copies a circle
r Can color within lines
r Copies vertical and horizontal lines
rCutting skills improved – can cut along lines
r Draws a person with a head
and can cut out a circle
r Uses a spoon and fork with little spillage
r Holds a knife in the dominant hand
r Opens rotating door handles
r Copies first name
r Strings ½ inch beads
r Has mastered an adult grasp of a pencil
r Traces a square
r Hand dominance is well-established
r Unzips separating zipper; zips and unzips
r Can use glue appropriately
non-separating zipper
r Prints numerals 1 to 5
r Unbuttons large and small buttons
rEnjoys working with a variety of mediums:
r Identifies body parts
paint, clay, glitter, chalk, glue, etc.
Begins to tie shoes
Can “sew” lacing cards
Completes a 12–15 piece puzzle
Learning how to print upper- and
lowercase letters
r
r
r
r
Between Ages of Four and Five:
r Builds a tower of 10 blocks
r Strings ¼ inch beads
rScissor skills improved – cuts on lines and
cuts simple shapes
7
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Coloring
Beach Ball
Directions: It’s beach time! Color the ball. Use your favorite colors.
8
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Cutting
Snip, Snip, Snip
Directions: Finish the fringe. Cut along the dashed lines.
9
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Tracing
Down Come the Frogs
Directions: Help the frogs find their logs. Use your pencil. Trace down the
dashed lines.
11
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Coloring
Fancy Fish
Directions: Color the fish. Use your favorite colors.
12
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Cutting
Racing Rabbits
Directions: Help the rabbits run to the finish line. Cut along the dashed lines.
$
$
$
$
$
13
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Gluing
Build a Block
Directions: Cut along the dashed lines. Glue the square in the correct space. Color
the block.
(glue here)
$
15
Fine Motor Skills
Me too!
Me
Too!
3
1
I can hop!
I can run.
4
2
“Me Too!”
17
Fine Motor Skills
Me too.
Me too.
7
5
19
Extension ideas:
1.Have your child look at the text and circle each
lowercase t.
2. Have your child hop each time he or she hears the
word can.
3. Play Simon Says with your child. Encourage fine motor
skills—”Simon says draw straight lines.”
4. On a seperate sheet of paper, write the words can,
me, and too. Ask your child to trace over the words.
Directions: First, ask your child to color the mini book.
Then, help him or her cut along the dotted lines. Next,
have your child arrange the pages in the correct
order. Staple the pages together. Read the story out
loud to your child.
Notes to Parents
I can run and hop.
8
6
“Me Too!”
Fine Motor Skills
Level 1:
Tracing
Mice & Cheese
Directions: Help the mouse find the cheese! Use your pencil. Trace along the
dashed lines.
21
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Coloring
Caterpillar Crawl
Directions: Color the caterpillar. Use your favorite colors.
22
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Cutting
Cut Along the Sun’s Rays
Directions: Help the sun shine down. Cut along the straight lines.
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
23
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Tracing
Design Time
Directions: Trace along the design. Then, connect the dots to make the same design.
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
25
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Coloring
Slow & Steady Turtle
Directions: Use the color key. Color the turtle.
1
2
2
= green
4
= yellow
3
1
3
4
1
= blue
= red
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
26
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Gluing
Candy Forest
Directions: Cut along the dashed lines. Glue each piece in the correct space. Color
the trees.
(glue here)
(glue here)
27
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Cutting
Flying Kites
Directions: Help fly five kites! Cut along the straight lines.
$
$
$
$
$
29
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Tracing
Have a Ball!
Directions: Use your pencil. Trace along the dashed lines. Color the gum balls.
31
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Coloring
Shoot for the Stars
Directions: Shoot for the stars! Look at the color key. Color the rocket.
3
2
3
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
3
1
3
1
4
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
red
orange
yellow
blue
32
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Cutting
Up and Downhill Bike Race
Directions: Ride up, down, and all around! Cut along the straight lines.
$
$
$
$
33
Fine Motor Skills
They play all day.
Ray and May
Blue Jay
35
3
1
They love to bake cakes.
Ray and May are Blue Jays.
4
2
“Ray and May
Blue Jay”
Fine Motor Skills
Ray and May
make fun all day.
They love to play games.
37
7
5
Extension ideas:
1.Ask your child to count each letter Aa that he or
she sees.
2. Have your child name each color he or she used to
color the mini book.
3. Using blue play dough, mold an A and an a.
4. Decorate a paper plate with your child. Use different
fine motor tools such as crayons, paint, and pencils.
Directions: First, ask your child to color the mini book.
Then, help him or her cut along the dotted lines. Next,
have your child arrange the pages in the correct
order. Staple the pages together. Read the story out
loud to your child.
Notes to Parents
They love to paint on paper.
8
6
“Ray and May
Blue Jay”
Fine Motor Skills
Level 2:
Gluing
What a Surprise!
Directions: Cut along the dashed lines. Glue each gift in the correct space. Color
the gifts.
(glue here)
(glue here)
(glue here)
39
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Tracing
Home Sweet Castle!
Directions: Make the princess’s castle. Use your pencil. Trace along the dashed lines.
41
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Coloring
Make a Wish
Directions: Look at the color key. Color the cake.
1
1
1
5
2
5
1
1
orange
1
2
2
5
blue
3
6
red
6
4
yellow
4
3
4
3
3
5
3
3
green
6
6
purple
6
3
3
4
5
5
42
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Gluing
Flamingo Puzzle
Directions: Cut along the dashed lines. Glue each piece in the correct order. Color
the flamingo.
43
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Tracing
Flutter By, Butterflies
Directions: Help the butterflies fly! Use your pencil. Trace along the dashed lines.
45
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Coloring
Dotty Dinosaur
Directions: Look at the color key. Color the dinosaur.
1
4
2
1
3
1
3
1
4
2
2
3
3
1
6
2
3
4
6
3
3
6
4
5
1
4
4
6
5
3
6
3
6
4
1
3
4
3
3
6
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
red
blue
green
yellow
orange
brown
46
Fine Motor Skills
Level 3:
Cutting
Mountains
Directions: Ski the slopes! Cut along the straight lines.
47
Fine Motor Skills
Level 4:
Tracing
Kittens and Their Mittens
Directions: Match the kittens to their mittens! Use your pencil. Trace along the
dashed lines.
49
Fine Motor Skills
Level 4:
Coloring
On the Farm!
Directions: Look at the color key. Color the farm picture.
2
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
2
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
1
1
1
1
4
1
2
1
7
7
1
7
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
3
1
7
3
1
7
6
6
1
7
1
7
7
1
7
1
1
3
1
1
7
7
1
5
1
3
3
3
3
5
5
3
6
5
1
5
3 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
red
blue
green
yellow
pink
orange
brown
50
Fine Motor Skills
Level 4:
Cutting
Oceans of Fun!
Directions: Look under the sea! Cut along the wavy lines.
$
$
$
$
$
51
Fine Motor Skills
Level 4:
Gluing
Construct a Robot
Directions: Cut along the dashed lines. Glue each piece in the correct space on
another sheet of paper. Color the picture.
53
Fine Motor Skills
I made pretty play dough.
What Did You Make?
55
3
1
Now what did you make?
What did you make?
4
2
“What Did You
Make?”
Fine Motor Skills
I made a pretty big mess!
I made a pretty painting.
57
7
5
Extension ideas:
1.Have your child clap every time he or she sees the
letter Pp in the story.
2. Ask your child, “What did you make?” after he or she
completes a page in this workbook. Encourage your
child to describe his or her work.
3. Let your child get messy! Mix —12 carton of yogurt and
1
—
a package of flavored gelatin together. Let your
2
child finger paint with the mixture.
Directions: First, ask your child to color the mini book.
Then, help him or her cut along the dotted lines. Next,
have your child arrange the pages in the correct
order. Staple the pages together. Read the story out
loud to your child.
Notes to Parents
Now what did you make?
8
6
“What Did You
Make?”
Fine Motor Skills
Level 5:
Cutting
Snip the Snail
Directions: Follow the snail’s shell. Cut along the curved dashed line.
59
Fine Motor Skills
Level 5:
Coloring
Candy House
Directions: Look at the color key. Color the picture.
2
8
3
8
6
4
1
1
7
1
3
6
3
2
3
3
1
6
3
3
4
1
7
3
2
2
2
4
2
3
6
3
2
6
2
3
6
6
2
2
2
2
2
5
1
3
6
1
1
5
1
1
1
7
1
5
4
1
8
1
8
3
2
1
5
1
4 4
1
4
2
2 8
1
1
1
1
3
8
1
2
3
4
3
3
3
6
2
1
4
4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
red
blue
yellow
green
purple
orange
pink
brown
61
Fine Motor Skills
Level 5:
Tracing
Trace a Face
Directions: Use your pencil. Trace along the dashed lines. Then, draw your own
face. Color the picture.
62
Fine Motor Skills
Level 5:
Gluing
Pet Goldfish
Directions: Cut out the fish and treasure chest along the dashed lines. Glue them in
the bowl. Color the picture.
63
Fine Motor Skills
AGES 3+
Basic Beginnings
FINE MOTOR
SKILLS
AGES
Basic Beginnings
FINE MOTOR
Basic Beginnings: FINE MOTOR SKILLS
This is where the learning begins! The Basic Beginnings series is an
essential and fun resource designed to make learning engaging
for your child. Fine Motor Skills includes five levels of colorful and
stimulating activities that gradually challenge your child’s little
fingers. As your child colors, traces, cuts, and glues through Fine
Motor Skills he or she improves:
• Hand-eye coordination
• Writing control
• Scissor and glue skills
• Creative expression
The learning continues! Explore more titles in the
Basic Beginnings series:
+
3
SKILLS
Includes
three mini
books to
color, cut out,
and share!
• Fun activities to color,
trace, cut, and glue
• Promotes learning
and fine motor control
• Includes colors,
shapes, counting,
and writing
Early Writing Practice
Same & Different
Following Directions
Counting & Sequencing
Fundamental Skills
U.S. $5.95
EAN
ISBN-13: 978-1-60996-890-8
704171 CO.indd 1
carsondellosa.com/spectrum
7/9/19 10:57 AM