Learning at Home:
Using Nature and Playing Outdoors for Fine Motor Fun
Engaging in fine motor activities that will prepare our 3 and 4-year-old children for writing the letters of the alphabet and numbers can be so much fun.
Earlier is not always better when it comes to handwriting and children.
Parents can help provide a strong foundation for later writing by having lots of fine motor fun now.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Learning at Home: Fine Motor Fun with Nature and Outdoors
- Draw pictures with sidewalk chalk.
- Pour sand, dirt, or water from one container to another. How many small containers full of sand/water does it take to fill the big one? Can you pour it without spilling a drop?
3. Draw shapes, letters or numbers using a paintbrush and water on the garage door (large, vertical writing is great for both fine motor and gross- motor development. Tape paper on the garage wall to draw on.
4. Clean the sidewalk using a spray bottle and water.
5. Fill each section of an egg carton with dirt, make a small hole, and pinch 3 seeds to place them in the hole. Use a spray bottle filled with water to give the seeds a drink. Remember to spray the dirt and the growing plants with water each day.
- Collect nuts, pebbles, and/or leaves and then sort them. How many ways can you sort the items you found?
- Collect pinecones and snap off each piece. Design a picture out of them by laying them on the driveway or gluing them on paper.
8. String beads on a stick.