Crafts are a great way to boost your childโs fine motor skills while having lots of fun. Fine motor skills are vital for their development as they build the small muscles in their hands and fingers.
This helps to give them perfect coordination which is needed for writing, drawing, and any other activity they need to do with their hands.
It is best to try and encourage your child to get creative and build their fine motor skills at the same time. Doing this will help them grow and develop while learning through fun activities.
Your child can also improve their creative skills and let their imaginations run wild. Not only does this bring plenty of fun for them, but also it improves the way they learn and think, giving them the chance to think outside of the box which is crucial for later in life!
Explore these top fun kids crafts to boost fine motor skills for engaging and enjoyable activities to do in the school holidays and at weekends. Your child can learn, grow, and develop all while keeping them occupied.
Origami
Trying some origami with your child is the perfect craft to boost fine motor skills. The Japanese paper-folding activity involves the art of precise folding and manipulation.
Doing this creates amazing shapes and things, such as animals or objects, that look amazing. You could try and make some origami animals together by following a tutorial.
Partaking in this activity allows your little one to improve their hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.
As they make a variety of animals, such as birds or butterflies, they can also develop their spatial awareness and attention to detail.
All of these learning factors are pivotal for them to succeed in the future as they are transferable skills that can be used across various job roles and throughout daily life.
Playdough art
Playing with playdough can help your child to have strong fine motor skills. As they pull, stretch, manipulate, and create, they can strengthen their hand muscles and improve their hand-eye coordination. The fun thing about playdough is they can make whatever they like!
There are no rules when it comes to playdough, they can just have fun getting messy. Your little one can enjoy the sensory play elements which also gives them added benefits on top of fine motor skills.
Sensory play can boost cognitive development, language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and encourages creativity and imagination!
Whatever your child makes, they can have plenty of fun manipulating their playdough to their desired shapes and let their imagination run wild.
They can think outside of the box and practice precision and control, improving their overall agility.
Creating with playdough can also allow your little one to problem-solve as they can experiment with different methods of creating.
Beading creations
Working with small, intricate beads while crafting can instantly improve your childโs fine motor skills. Have a range of beads and strings for your child to make art with or even jewelry.
Make sure to get various size beads for them to work with, building the muscles in their hands and fingers as they grip the beads and put them onto a string.
The different sizes and shapes will challenge your child and give them the chance to learn how to handle small parts.
Whether theyโre making art or jewelry, your little one can have fun making bead creations and threading small strings through tiny beads.
Make sure that you are with your child as they create to prevent any incidents from occurring, such as choking. You can also help them figure out how to thread the beads effectively to help them learn and grow.
Nature crafts
Immerse yourself and your child in nature to boost fine motor skills and connect closer to nature.
Head outdoors for a woodland adventure and collect leaves, sticks, and flowers to use in crafts. You can go for a walk and find the items you need to make art with.
As they find the items, your little one can explore the outdoors and understand the world around them. They can also learn about different types of leaves, trees, and plants.
Once you have everything you need, take the items home and let your child create whatever they like. It could be a nature collage, a sculpture, or a piece of artwork.
They can glue, cut, and arrange natural materials to help them improve their dexterity and fine motor skills.
Handling each item and making their creation makes their fingers and hands work, building their muscles.
Making mosaics
Colorful mosaics are a fantastic way to build muscle strength in your childโs hands and fingers. They can use small pieces of paper and cut them into small squares and
rectangles to create a wonderful mosaic art piece. Cutting paper into smaller pieces can encourage your little one to develop their finger dexterity due to the action.
They can then work their hands and fingers to assemble their pieces into a pattern they want to create. Your child can also glue each little piece into place to further strengthen their muscles.
Tiles and buttons can also be included to add texture to the piece and create a sensory play experience. The activity is perfect for picking up and placing small objects while being precise.
Creating memory boxes
Why not help your little one with creating their very own memory box? Not only is this craft a wonderful and personal experience, but it also can boost their fine motor skills.
Take an old shoebox or cardboard box and let your child manipulate it into a shape they like. They can also personalize the box to make it their own, using a variety of materials like tissue paper, sequins, pens, paint, and any other art supplies they would like.
They can cut, stick, manipulate, and assemble their materials to create a design they love. All of this builds the muscles in their hands and fingers while letting them have fun.
Personalizing a memory box can encourage your child to use it. They can feel proud of having their own special box to put keepsakes in that they can look back at when theyโre older.
It can bring fond memories of whatโs inside it, such as photographs and letters from Santa, and also a wonderful memory of designing and creating it with you.
Use these top 6 fun kids crafts to boost fine motor skills to allow your little one to learn, grow, and develop while having fun.
You can spend part of the weekend or school holidays together getting creative, having a laugh, and building your childโs finger and hand muscles!
