If you’re looking for a fun and memorable way to build fine motor skills with a preschooler, teach then how to make tin foil roses, suggests pediatric occupational therapist Dana Cary. When you’re done, your child will have a flower (or a whole bouquet)!
Take a look at the easy step-by-step instructions in this video. Below it you’ll find a Q&A we did with Dana, asking all sorts of questions about what are fine motor skills and why are they important. We’re huge fans of Dana Cary and her creative ideas! (We spoke with her last year about sneaky ways to teach a child to hold a pencil.)
What are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are the ability to make precise and coordinated movements using the small muscles in our hands, wrists, and fingers!
Why are fine motor skills important?
Fine motor skills are important because we use them for just about every activity of daily life, from tying our shoes, to buttoning our shirts, to feeding ourselves using a spoon + holding a pencil to draw or write.
Can these skills be improved upon? How?
Yes, definitely! If we complete activities that challenge our fine motor skills on a daily basis, (for example like stringing small beads), over time our fine motor movements will become more coordinated and precise.
What is bilateral coordination?
Bilateral coordination is the ability to coordinate both sides of the body so they are integrated and can work together in an organized fashion. An example of bilateral coordination would be using both of our hands to open a container – one hand stabilizes the container, the other completes the opening motion.
Why is it important?
Like fine motor skills, we need bilateral coordination to complete activities of daily living like feeding, grooming, dressing, etc. Without bilateral coordination, a child could appear very clumsy. They might switch hands when they color or draw (instead of using one dominant hand), they might bobble and drop items all the time, or have a hard time playing sports during recess.
Can it be improved? How?
Totally! By practicing, practicing, and practicing! Children can practice doing symmetrical bilateral coordination movements where both arms do the same thing (like catching a ball, or completing a jumping jack, or rolling playdough using two hands together). They can also practice doing asymmetrical movements by deliberately doing different things with each side of the body (i.e. one hand touches their head, the other hand touches their belly). Also having them activities where one hand functions as the dominant hand and the other works as the helper hand is therapeutic – like the example I mentioned before about opening containers – where one hand stabilizes and the other opens the container. Yoga is a great activity for kids that has them build upon their bilateral coordination skills.
Why is this tin foil roses so useful for both motor skills and bilateral coordination?
Because in this activity, kids are challenging the little muscles in their hands to squeeze and shape the tinfoil in a precise manner using both hands together 🙂 (This activity is also great for hand strengthening since squeezing the tinfoil also provides some resistance!)
Will you build fine motor skills by making a flower bouquet? Share your designs with us on Facebook!
