RESOURCES:

1.
Handwriting Without
Tears:
www.hwtears.com
2.

ErinkoakKIDS

www.erinoakkids.ca
3.
CCAC (Community Care
Access Centre)
www.ccac-ont.ca

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I

KNOW?
Have fun! Learning needs to be
a pleasant and creative process
for kids. Each and every child
has individual needs and
strengths. Talk with your childs
teacher if you are concerned
about their development in any
area.

K. Maitland

Fine Motor
Development

Getting Ready to
Write
A resource for
parents

What is fine
motor
development?
More and more
students are presenting
difficulty developing the
skills they need to become
effective and confident
writers, illustrators, and
communicators of their
ideas. With the challenging
demands of curriculum,
students are in need of
support, patience, and
strategies for success.
Developing fine motors
skills can lead to increased
confidence and the ability
to take academic risks, with
greater success.
Fine motor skill
development involves
precise movements,
acquired over time, via
exposure and experience.
The development of
fine motor skills begins
before birth however most
skills are acquired once
early gross motor skills are
mastered. (ERINOAK KIDS,
2009)

Typical Pencil
Grasp
Development

Palmer Grasp (1324 mos)

Digital Pronate (2436 mos)

Static Tripod (3-4

Years)

Dynamic Tripod (5
Years to adult)

(The ultimate goal is for

children to demonstrate the
dynamic tripod pencil grip
with confidence and
consistency.)

Activities You
Can do at Home
to Help Develop
Your Childs
Fine Motor
Skills
Stengthening Activites:

Squeeze balls

Play with play doh (make letters and

numbers, and roll balls)

Manipulation Activities:

Practice lacing and beading

Winding, twisting, and screwing

activities (e.g. nuts & bolts,
pipecleaners)

Develop pincer grasp (e.g clothes

pins, tweezers, eye droppers)

Finger Coordination
Activities:

Make finger puppets

Learn sign language alphabet

Scissor Skill Development

Activities:

Practice holding scissors properly

Practice cutting straws, strips of

paper, etc. Then try cutting straight
lines and curved lines (following
printed lines)

Pencil Grip Development:

Try different pencils (short, triangular,

etc.)

Practice proper pencil grasp