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Fine Motor Fun for Fall
by Marianne Gibbs, MOT, OTR
Fine motor development that supports handwriting and writing occurs as children engage in the basic activities of daily living. Some of our best opportunities for fine motor development in daily life happen in the Fall! Whether children are raking leaves, cleaning out the insides of pumpkins, or making cookies to share with family and friends, they are building fine motor skills that support future efficient handwriting. Children love to help at school and home and become involved in the process of living and learning through activity! Here are a few examples of activities we can engage children in to build fine motor skills and how they pertain to handwriting acquisition.
Raking Leaves: 
Grab a rake and let's go! This is a great crossing midline activity (arms move across the body in function) that facilitates the two sides of the brain to work together. Crossing midline supports accurate letter formation in handwriting. Don't forget the best part - jumping in that huge leaf pile!
 Scooping Pumpkins: Get those little hands on and in pumpkins! Scooping out the gooey insides of pumpkins with hands or a spoon is a fantastic sensory and hand strength-building experience. Tripod pencil grasp is encouraged when children separate pumpkin seeds from pumpkin webs - may be messy, but messy means learning is happening!
Making Cookies: Our little helpers love to make and eat cookies. Have them mixing, pouring, and scooping ingredients for Fall cookies to build coordination and visual motor skills. The pride on children's faces as they create cookies is only rivaled by their anticipation of eating them!
As teachers and parents, we must offer a wide-variety of hands-on activities throughout the school day and at home - that is our job. The children's job is to play with purpose everyday. Enjoy the Fall season and know that you are contributing to children's future academic success, self-confidence, and self-efficacy when you involve them in fun, meaningful activities that abound at this time of year!
Fall into Fun...Write Out of the Box!
Marianne |
A weaving mat is a great tool for developing fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills. These mats are perfect colors for the Fall and might even be a terrific project to consider for your Thanksgiving Feast! 
The Picker-Upper is a terrific item to use while working on tripod development and pencil use. Increased surface area and easy squeeze of this tool promotes success for beginners when moving, sorting and/or counting fun 
