The following are some fun activities parents can do with children which focus on the use of fine motor skills. You can easily expand and adapt these activities as your child’s skills increase with practice. Enjoy and have lots of FUN!

Cooking activities

Kneed, roll and shape dough.
Measure ingredients, stir and mix batter, decorate cookies with different toppings.
Slice soft foods such as bananas with a dull knife.
Make pizza together. Child can assist with assembling various ingredients and placing them on the pizza. Make a drawing of the pizza first.
Wash and scrub fruit and vegetables. Wash an remove individual grapes from the vine, tear up lettuce, break the ends off string beans.
Go berry picking. Learn about various kinds of berries, their different shapes, textures, tastes and sizes. Bake a pie afterwards.

Activities to assist with emerging writing skills

Play drawing games where the child copies what you draw. Progress from simple shapes and straight lines to more complex shapes and figures. This may progress further to block letters and numbers. Alternate and make it more fun by you copying what your child draws too.
Practice holding and using various writing instruments. Vary the thickness (thick shaft vs thin shaft), lengths (short vs long), materials (crayons, markers, pens, pencils).
Trace different shapes on paper and cut them out using blunt scissors. As the child learns the shapes, allow them to draw freehand and not use tracers.

Other activities around the home

String beads using shoe laces.
Lace string through holes punched in cardboard.
Simple sewing using thick yarn.
Share housework activities such as sorting socks, folding clothes, putting dishes/utensils away. Use clothes pegs to put clothes to dry.
Play card games, board games using small game pieces.
Put a puzzle together. Start with large pieces, progress to smaller pieces.
Encourage your child to dress themselves. Practice buttoning, tying shoelaces, pulling zippers, tying scarves.