Here are 2 activities to develop your child's fine motor skills.
Sewing
Give your child a big, not too sharp needle and some thick yarn.
If your child is very young and has never done any sewing, you can use pre-punched cards to guide him. Show him how it works before you let him try it on his own.
When he is a little more resourceful, you can print supports, offer him an embroidery hoop or reuse old cards. For example, offer to sew beautiful Christmas garlands on an old greeting card representing a fir tree.
Sewing is a complicated activity for a young child that requires a lot of patience and concentration. If he does not wish to finish his work immediately, let him take a break and resume it when he is ready.
This activity allows the child to exercise his fine motor skills and work on his hand-eye coordination . It develops its ability to concentrate. He gains self-confidence by doing this activity.
Weaving
Weaving has the same virtues as sewing. On the other hand, this activity is a little more complicated. Therefore, we advise you to offer it when the sewing is acquired. Froebel weaving is the most accessible.
To prepare for the activity, you need to cut out two squares of colored paper. Then, cut the first square into strips (yellow for example). You can do the same with the second, but do not cut them all the way to form fringes (purple for example).
The simplest weaving is to pass the yellow strip once above, once below the purple stripes. You can then make all kinds of varied weaves.
Sources:
- https://activitesmaison.com/2015/08/30/tissage-de-papier/
- https://enconfianceavecmontessori.com/enseignement-couture-plus-jeune-age/#:~:text=Start%20by%20sortir%20tous%20les,et%20le%20nouerons%20for%20lui.
- https://www.montessorinature.com/montessori-preschool-activities-games/