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Motor skills

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Fine motor skills are small muscle movements such as the movements that occur in the fingers, in coordination with the eyes. (i.e. hand-eye coordination) Teaching fine motor skills the instructor must remain patient and understanding, for motor skills do not come easy for all children. Their motor skills will not all come together 0over-night, but with time and practice, the children will learn motor skills—with your help. Here are some suggestions for developing fine motor skills:

· Motor skills in cutting:
Use a thick black line to guide cutting the following:

A fringe from a piece of paper
Cut off corners of a piece of paper
Cut figures with curves and angles
Cut along curved lines

For children starting out leaning their motor skills, cut clay with blunt scissors

· Tracing and Coloring

Use a thick black line if needed
Trace and then color shapes, increasing the size and complexity gradually

· Self-Care Skills
Self care motor skills are simple, daily tasks that young children need help with. But if the develop the right motor skills, they will be able to do these things on their own. Use simple classroom projects to help the children accomplish these and other motor skills:

Buttoning
Lacing
Tying
Fastening Snaps
Zipping
Carrying
Using a screwdriver
Locking and unlocking doors
Winding a clock
Opening and closing jars
Washing plastic dishes
Sweeping the floor

· Motor skills in finger tracing
Many times when a child is unable to do a worksheet, it helps to trace the pattern with his finger before he tries it with a pencil.

Have the child trace a pattern in sand, cornmeal, finger paint, etc. The textures give the child kinesthetic feedback.

There are many other motor skills to be learned and developed as the children move forward at their own pace. Motor skills come into play when the children learn to write, to do art, and much much more.