Fine Motor Skills Activities
for Older Kids

Crumple a sheet of newspaper or scrap paper in the hand until it is a tight ball. Try to do it while holding the hand in the air. That way, the fingers work harder!

Use the fingers to “walk” a small ball up and down the legs. Your child could walk the ball up one leg, across the tummy and down the other leg. Most kiddy balls work well.

Using a basic kids' beanbag, position the fingers under the beanbag, holding it level.

Keeping the bean bag level, slowly rotate the bean bag 360 degrees, using the fingers and thumb to manipulate it.

Have your child hold some coins in the hand and then work them up to the fingers one by one to push them through the slots of a money bank. Side slots get the fingers working hardest.

Keep the resources for these activities in a handy container to access whenever your child needs a break during schoolwork/homework.

Here's what your fine motor skills activities box could look like!

Plasticine (modeling clay) is a lot stiffer and harder to work with than playdough, which makes it the ideal challenge for kids in middle school and older.

Here are some ideas that you can encourage your older child to do with plasticine!

(This is my affiliate link to modeling clay on Amazon for your convenience. If you purchase anything through my link I may receive a small commission, but you are under no obligation to purchase anything!)

Break a stick of modeling clay into smaller pieces – I can usually get about 10 small blobs out of one stick of modelling clay…

Using the “tripod” fingers (thumb, index and middle fingers), roll the blob into a neat ball.

If your child struggles to isolate the tripod fingers, have them hold down their ring and little fingers like this, or ask them to hold down a scrap of paper with those 2 fingers.

If rolling the balls is too hard, then try making sausages with a simple back and forth motion of the tripod fingers.

Try Some Pencil Control Exercises!

Pop on over to my page of pencil control activities and try the photographed pencil exercises shown there.

They can easily be done before any major writing assignment, and even as a quick break during writing to ease tired fingers.

Cutting with scissors strengthens the hand muscles, and also helps the child to isolate the movement of the tripod fingers (thumb, index and middle fingers for holding the pencil) from the rest of the hand.

Getting lots of opportunities to cut with scissors can help improve your child's fine motor skills.

• Try kirigami - this is the art of cutting and folding paper, and some examples on this page make lovely decorative ideas.
  
  
• If you are really stuck for scissor cutting ideas, you could try some of the downloadable e-books on this page of my site - lots of fun end products that can motivate reluctant kids to cut with scissors.

Use scissors that are a step up from kiddie scissors, but not too large.

Adult 5.5inch scissors used for crafts (shown alongside) are also good - remember to exercise caution with sharp scissors!

Pocket Full of Therapy have a really fantastic little kit called the In-Hand Manipulation Kit. It was put together by an Occupational Therapist and contains a variety of objects that you can use to challenge an older child.

My own kids (middle and junior high) still enjoy the challenge of these fine motor skills activities for older kids. You can view the kit over here. (This is an affiliate link to a product I use.)