Motor Skill Development

Fishing for Colors Activity for an individual child Age group: 30-40 months Duration of activity: 20 minutes Materials: 1 smooth stick or dowel rod 1 piece of string 2 feet long Small magnet Colored construction paper Scissors Paper clips This f...

Toe Wrestling Activity for two players Age group: 30-40 months Duration of activity: 10 minutes This lively game will help your child develop motor skills and balance. It is recommended that one of the players be an older child or adult who can ...

How can you tell whether your child's tiptoe walking is just a habit or indicates of a problem? ...

Print out and use this checklist to help in an initial diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome in your child. You can find more checklists on Asperger's syndrome here. ...

Fun Sign LanguageDirections Involve your child in making up signals with their hands, arms, and fingers. Each signal should stand for a word or expression. Keep it simple and see how many your child can come up with and remember. This could becom...

Tweezers and TongsMaterials Tweezers Kitchen tongs Variety of small and very small objects Empty egg cartonsDirectionsSelect various objects that require children to use tongs or tweezers to pick them up. Examples are: cereal, cut-up raw vegetabl...

Fine-Motor CoordinationFine-motor coordination involves the ability to control the small muscles of the body and is usually defined as the ability to coordinate the action of the eyes and hands together in performing precise manipulative movement...

Yoga ToadDirectionsPractice this activity with your child until you both perfect it. Squat on your heels and balance. Put the palms of your hands on the floor. How long can you balance there? Help by holding your child's hips up. Take small hops ...

Freeze and MeltDirections Have your child run freely around the space. When you say freeze or clap your hands, she must stop and remain absolutely still. When you say melt, your child can relax and start to move around again. Continue freezing an...

Let's Move!Directions:At an early age, children associate how they move to words that describe the movements they make. For example: run, lie down, stand up, walk. This activity will help your child build his movement vocabulary. Practice the fo...

Kindergarten Prep: Cutting with ScissorsIt is most likely that you will find scissors on the "back-to-school" shopping list. You will want to select a good pair of child-sized scissors that your child can hold comfortably in his hand and that wi...

Three to Six Years: Dietary and Developmental HighlightsAround three, children become increasingly social, more independent, and even more fun to be with than they were before. Preschoolers are particularly playful people who can be quite jovial ...

Beanbag TossTime 5 to 10 minutes Materials Large laundry basketPlastic sandwich bags or old socksPackage of dry beans Directions Physical games encourage decision making about when and how to move the body. Tossing objects at a target can give y...

Center of the UniverseTime 5 to 10 minutes Materials Several scarves Directions Children love to spin around until they become dizzy and fall down. It makes them the center of their world as everything spins around them. Hold scarves out at shou...

Kindergarten Prep: Name WritingThe step following mark-making is letter writing, creating symbols that are recognizable to you and to your child. Young children often make the most progress writing the letters in their name before writing any ot...

That Makes ThreeTime 5 to 10 minutes Materials 3 medium-sized items such as a washrag, yarn ball, small cup, or set of keys Directions Hand control is still developing, but with this activity you throw in decision making as well. Sit on the floo...

Batting BallsTime 5 to 10 minutes Materials Balloons Directions It will be a long time before your child has sufficient strength and hand-eye coordination to hit a ball with a bat, but this is an activity that can lead the way to that skill. Infl...

String AlongTime 5 to 10 minutes Materials Hand-sized objectsA piece of thick yarn 2 to 3 feet long Directions Something as simple as grabbing for a toy helps to teach your baby how to control the environment. Tie the object or toy to one end o...