Exercises for Fine Motor Work
1)
Flick ball, cotton balls, buttons or small objects with fingertips.
2)
Shuffle cards.
3)
Place rubber band around fingertips and thumb, palm facing floor, and
spread fingers apart gently.
4)
Screw and unscrew lids of jars.
5)
Place a row of paper or plastic cups on table in front of you and turn them
over as fast as yo can without knocking any over.
6)
Play “pick up sticks” (using fingertips) with toothpicks, matches, straws or
unsharpened pencils.
7)
Pick up Cheerios, small marshmallows, dried beans, or rice with tweezers.
8)
Play ring toss, card games, checkers, or Chinese checkers.
9)
Place 10 coins in your hand, then slide them out of your hand over the side of
your index finger using your thumb. Work as quickly as possible.
10)
Tie knots in a 10 inch piece of rope, yarn or thread.
11)
Twirl an unsharpened pencil between your fingers like a baton.
12)
Hand resting on table, palm down, spread fingers apart then together again.
13)
Hand resting on table palm down, raise and lower fingers one at a time off
table top.
14)
Make a tight fist and straighten fingers completely.
15)
Make an “O” by touching thumb to each fingertip, one at a time, while
remaining fingers are kept straight.
16)
Bend and straighten each joint of your fingers individually.
17)
Assemble and disassemble various sized nuts and bolts.
18)
Wring out various sponges, wash cloths and rags.
19)
Carry a heavy book between thumb and fingers.
20)
Roll play dough/putty into tiny balls (peas size) using only finger tips.
21)
Using toothpicks or straws to make designs in play dough/putty.
22)
Tear newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls and tossing
into a trash container.
23)
Scrunching up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand only.
24)
Shaking dice by cupping the hands together forming empty air space
between the palms.
25)
Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios, and macaroni.
26)
Turning over cards, checkers, coins, or buttons with out bringing them to the
edge of the table.
Completing 2 to 3 of these activities for 5 to 10 minutes a day should help improve
fine motor skills and coordination.