7 Ways to do Fine Motor Skills Training at Home

Fine Motor Training at Home

I highly recommend performing fine motor skills training activities with your children to support their hand and finger dexterity, coordination, and overall development. Here are seven exercises that you can easily perform at home using common household items and some guidelines on frequency and duration.

#1 Stringing Beads 

Provide your child with a string or shoelace and some beads. Have them thread the beads onto the string, working on their dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Aim to perform this activity for 10 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#2 Playdough Squishing 

Playdough is an excellent tool for fine motor skill training. Encourage your child to squish, roll, and shape the playdough. This activity can be done for 15 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#3 Pinching Clothespins

Have your child use their thumb and index finger to pick up and release clothespins. This exercise helps to develop their grip strength and dexterity. Aim to perform this activity for 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#4 Cutting with Scissors

Provide your child with age-appropriate scissors and paper. Encourage them to practice cutting lines, shapes, and pictures. This exercise helps to improve their hand strength and dexterity. Aim to perform this activity for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#5 Manipulating Small Objects

Provide your child with small objects, such as marbles, pompoms, or beads. Have them pick up and move the objects from one container to another. This exercise helps to develop their dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Aim to perform this activity for 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#6 Finger Knitting

Finger knitting is a fun and simple way to improve fine motor skills. Provide your child with a skein of yarn and have them create a finger-knit chain. This exercise helps to improve hand dexterity and coordination. Aim to perform this activity for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

#7 Writing and Free Drawing

Encourage your child to write, draw, and color with crayons, markers, or pencils. This activity helps to improve their dexterity, grip strength, and hand-eye coordination. Aim to perform this activity for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day.


Remember to make these exercises fun and interactive, as children learn best when they are engaged and enjoying themselves. Always stick to realistic looking materials and where possible make sure to use real objects like pegs from your own clothing line.

By incorporating these fine motor skills activities into your child's daily routine, you can help to improve their hand and finger dexterity, coordination, and overall development. It's essential to start with small and simple tasks and gradually increase their difficulty as your child's skills improve.