Fun Summer Activities That Help Develop Fine Motor Skills

Running out of ideas for fun yet educational summer activities for your small child? Connie McCarthy from SchoolFamily.com featured three enjoyable outdoor summer activites that help develop fine motor skills. They require no paper, pencils, or electronic devices!

Activity One: A beach pail and a small, clean paint brush (about 3 inches wide, the kind used for indoor trim.)

Directions:

• Fill the pail about ¾ full of clean water
• Let your child “paint” on the back side of your house, garage, or shed.
• The up-and-down and side-to-side motions will help your child strengthen muscles needed for drawing, printing, and other fine motor tasks. Children love to see the “paint” disappear as it dries. This activity keeps young children productively occupied for a long time!

Activity Two:  Thick sidewalk chalk (available at Wal-Mart, Dollar Stores, etc.)

Directions:

• Let your child draw and write on the driveway, sidewalk, or patio. Encourage big pictures, letters and/or words. (For example, a “Welcome Home” message to a returning family member.) Their art will last until the next rainstorm!

Activity Three: A can of shaving cream and an old tray or cookie sheet

Directions:

• Once outside, fill the tray or cookie sheet with shaving cream
• Let your child draw using their finger, or a small Popsicle stick. They can draw pictures, write their name, practice capital and lowercase letters, or write words in the shaving cream. Your child can erase by smoothing a hand slightly over the cream.
• Clean up is easy with the hose or a bucket of water.

Take advantage of the good summer weather and let your child learn while playing outside!

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