7 OT essentials to improve kids handwriting skills with fun fine & gross motor activities.
- Rebecca Crapo OTR/L, FMT
- Dec 9, 2021
- 11 min read
Updated: Dec 31, 2021
Having good handwriting skills creates a solid foundation for spelling and reading, which are essential to succeed in school and in life. If you are a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling, or teaching your child and want to discover the age-appropriate handwriting skills and fun activities to do at home to encourage better handwriting. Keep reading.
Hi welcome, I am Rebecca an Occupational Therapist, behavioral health specialist, author, and advisor. Throughout my OT career parents and educators have related sloppy handwriting and poor penmanship to poor grades and laziness. In my OT experience poor handwriting is related to poor pen control, poor posture, poor finger strength & dexterity.
What are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are small fine movements and coordination of the small muscles in the body. Usually, it is thought of as the movements that involve the fingers and the hands. Occupational Therapy looks at the occupation of the child including fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are essential to independence with dressing, feeding, eating, and performance in school.
Fine motor skills: The ability for a person to ability to effortlessly utilize the complex muscles in their hands with an appropriate strength, dexterity, and coordination, in order to grasp, manipulate, and accomplish functional tasks. You need sensory processing skills as well your brain helps control if you are being too soft or too hard, good posture for the task making sure all muscles work together.
For example with the fine motor skills: If you are writing a letter to someone, your body needs flow together from holding the pencil correctly to writing the words all has to be effortless. Sensory processing skills make sure you are not pressing too hard, making the pencil break, or too large it takes over the page, maybe too soft can’t read it, or unable to read the words. The words also have to stay along a straight path to write. Your brain has to connect with your body to complete all of these tasks. Our brain comes first, it thinks of what and how to do it, then it talks to the rest of the body to complete the task.
For example A person was climbing a ladder and fell off.
Person A: Hit their head and damage their brain. The brain has to relearn all the patterns to write again not the muscles in the hand.
Person B: Broke back. Their brain knows how to write but the part they broke has cut off the ability to complete the task until that part heals.
Today I am focusing on fine motor skills the appropriate age for type of grasp, posture, and development of holding onto a pencil, and some fun fine motor activities to complete to increase strength and dexterity of the hands to increase the fine motor skills that are essential to children's independence. The better they get the more they can manipulate zippers, buttons, feed themselves, and clothe themselves. AND ONE LESS THING YOU HAVE TO DO.
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Key areas to focus on during the development of handwriting;
1. Grasp or Grip
2. Wrist position
3. Arm/hand movement,
4. Proper body position.
5. Gross motor activities
6. Fine motor activities
With the seven essentials to developing good handwriting. the first four are related to pencil grasp and body position. Gross motor and fine motor activities are complete before handwriting begins. To get the body warmed up ( and wiggled out) increasing the chances of sitting still for the writing exercise. Keeping distraction at the minimum. Some kids need continued movements break through out the day of work. Allow this to happen to increase the concentration of the task.
The development of the pencil grip is the most important part of good handwriting. Children's grips change at 2-3 yr., 3-4 1/2, then 4 1/2 -6 years old.
Power Grasp Ages 2-3 is when your little one grabs for a large writing object and begins to scribble. They usually start using one side over the other. Left/Right.
1. Grip: The grip is tight. All fingers around the object. Pinky facing towards the ground.
2. Wrist position wrist is tight. Away from the body.
3. Arm/hand movement the hand, arm, and shoulder are further away from the body and move altogether.
4. Proper body position: Ages 2-3 the core strength (stomach muscles) can be weak when sitting up and concentrating on writing.
Ages 3-4 1/2 begin using the three primary fingers, thumb, pointer & middle finger.
Webspace is the space between the thumb and pointer. If you stretch these fingers apart it will kind of look like a web.
Grip: The grip changes to using three primary fingers. The pencil is not resting between the thumb and pointer called the webspace.
Wrist Position: The wrist is still tight and the elbow and arm still move together.
Arm/hand movement: Elbow and arm still move together
Proper body position: The body is sitting up but leaning forward. Using arms for support for writing activity.
Grasp: Using the three primary fingers. Not using the webspace yet.
Wrist position: Wrist coming closer to the body.
Arm/hand movement: Arm and shoulder closer to the body for more fine motor control (smaller harder movement).
Proper body position: She is still leaning to one side for head and core support while writing.
The tripod grasp ( the one most of us use) begins between 4-6 years old.
Ages 4-6 Using the tripod grasp. The three primary fingers, webspace, and posture.
Grasp: He is using his tripod grasp. He is resting the pencil in the webspace of the hand.
Wrist position: The wrist begins to face inward, and be more relaxed.
Arm/hand movement: Elbow is closer to the body. Allowing fingers to do the work.
Proper body position: He is sitting up. Using his hand to stabilize other side of the paper.
Grasp: Using all three fingers (tripod grasp). Resting in webspace. Hand relaxed.
Wrist Position: Wrist facing in towards the body. Wrist relaxed.
Arm/hand movement: Shoulder and arm closer to the body. Allowing hands and fingers to work on their own.
Proper body position: Sitting up. Using core strength. Holding onto paper to stabilize.
Check out my published books
Click on the picture to check out more about the books
I have created this therapy-based activity book to get your children ages 3+ on the path to success with a fun interactive activity book that helps you apply tips and techniques for your little ones to master early learning skills and progressively build their writing skills.
For The UNICORNE Lover. This starts with Alphabet, letters, distinguish between tall, shot, and tail letters. The rest is blank center dashed lined practice writing paper with three line widths and a colored guide below the dotted line for the first thickness allowing for developing letter size and formation. Begins with a wide line thickness, 1 1/2 inches, reduced to 1 1/4 inch, and progresses smaller to a standard kindergarten size of 1 inch. This allows for a gradual decrease in letter size and letter formation.
For the non-unicorn lover. This book easily demonstrates the difference between tall, short, and tail letters. The rest of the book is blank center dashed lined practice writing paper with three line widths and a colored guide below the dotted line for the first thickness allowing for developing letter size and formation. Begins with a wide line thickness, 1 1/2 inches, reduced to 1 1/4 inch, and progresses smaller to a standard kindergarten size of 1 inch. This allows for a gradual decrease in letter size and letter formation.
What is gross motor?
Like fine motor where it is a fine small movement like writing, buttoning, zipping, tying. Gross motor is large muscle movements, jumping, hugging, running, biking. We need muscle, and balance to complete daily tasks. We need the sensory processing of these movements as well. Sitting on a chair, we have to sense how deep or short the chair is so we can carefully sit and stand without falling over.
Gross Motor activities are completed before we start fine motor activities so we can warm up ( and get the hyper out) of the whole body.
Jumping jacks with counting or spelling is always good.
Add these extra tricks to increase bilateral coordination.
Make different patterns of the jumping jack.
Same hand same leg on the same side up. Then switch to other side of the body.
Opposite arm opposite leg ( much harder). Good for sensory processing
Change directions of the legs out to side vs. scissor pointing forward and back)
SWINGING is great for the sensory system:
Holding onto swings like these increases grip strength.
Help with increasing the vestibular system.
Good to get the wiggles out before sitting down to write.
Pushing and pulling activities are key to hand strength
Tug A War: If you can't do this outside do it inside with a sheet or pillowcase.
Tie sheet to something heavy like a laundry basket filled with stuff ( depending on age). Have them pull it around. Point out different surface make it easier and harder.
Pushing the laundry basket with inside weight.
Fun tricks to develop tripod grasp
First and most important have your child pick out a very special writing utensil. Unicorn/spaceship pencil or colored pencil. Whatever your child has an interest in, they enjoy the importance of their special pencil.
Use a thicker writing utensil. Start with a thicker writing utensil like a marker then reduce to a pencil or crayon.
Use those broken crayons. With a shorter writing utensil, there is no other place for the fingers to go except using the three primary fingers.
Fun Fine Motor Activities To Warm Up & Strengthen Fingers
Have your child hold onto a marble or a ball of paper under the pinky and index finger seeing how long they can hold it while writing.
In therapy, we complete fun finger and physical activities before writing in order to warm up and strengthen the hands and fingers. Remember to use larger items and make things smaller as they master it.
With any playdough. Make it fun. Create something with the dough. Talk about the color of it.
Make balls; start with a good amount of dough, then less and less.
Try one hand at a time.
Eventually, try doing both hands at the same time.
Let your child create whatever they are interested in.
Try focusing on small objects and using the three primary fingers, rolling with tips of the fingers, pitching, pressing down.
Make a nest with pinching and pressing, make tiny eggs and some tiny worms.
Roll out long straight pieces and make letters out of the dough that you will be working on for the day.
Make spaghetti and meatballs with dough
Make a flat pizza with small ingredients on top, then cutting up the dough with a plastic knife helps increase hand strength.
Don't forget about sewing large felt shapes for pillows. Sewing is a great activity for finger dexterity, eye-hand coordination.
More activities to increase upper arm strength
Tape a large piece of paper to the wall and have the child draw up and across to increase arm strength.
Make a race track out of big paper tape it to the wall and use the car to follow the tracks. Complete letters for that day, you can color-code them.
Make letters in the sand with a stick.
Use whip cream on a mirror standing and reaching up.
Fantastically Fun educational Items to purchase to increase fine motor skills while learning.
This is the professional putty we use in therapy. It has different strengths to it, allowing you to increase the difficulty. Place small items in here to pull out, and/or the exercises written above.
PREMIUM QUALITY THERAPY PUTTY – Strengthen hands, Improve fine motor skills, anxiety, stress relief, busy hands
4 COLOR-CODED LEVELS OF RESISTANCE – 3 oz of each color (Soft to Firm) in easy to open reusable containers
SAFE – gluten free, latex free, BPA free, Unscented, safe for children and adults
Items to help with writing mechanical pencils
I love these. I use the pens, I call them "spaceship pens" Nice for kids and adults.
Set includes 4 Twist n Write Mechanical Pencils with an additional package of five 2mm black lead refills with refill insertion tool
Unique wishbone shape develops and supports tripod grip
Bright colors, 1 each of yellow, dark blue, magenta pink, purple
Designed to fit small hands. Helps children learn to write with proper grip
Refillable 2mm nontoxic lead
They have them in pens too. Not only for kids but great for reducing hand cramps and great for older people with arthritis.
Slope angled at 20 degrees to enable children to work, read, and write at the optimal position for correct posture
Silicon ridge running along the bottom to prevent paper from slipping off
Sturdy durable materials for long-lasting use. Two pieces for easy, flat transport or storage
Extra-wide 18 x 14 x 5 inch board to fit large size books or workbooks
Authentic wooden finish may have natural wood imperfections
Educational Toy: Having them in school to learn all types of different 2D shapes and figuring out fractions. Good for kids who love making shapes, letters, designs and struggle with grasp, fine motor & visual motor skills.
Fine Motor Development The sensory toys on the backpack assist toddlers and those with special needs, to develop fine motor and cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving.
Math and Counting soft shoulder straps are decorated with numbers and shapes, which will encourage children to learn early math and counting.
Large CapacityThis toddler backpack has enough space for daily necessities, such as diapers, food, kettles, books, toys, etc., and there is a compartment in the school bag, you can sort the items and store.
Watch out! Some of the roadways are blocked! These STEM toys help develop fine motor skills as kids use the wand to navigate the city.
These Montessori toys foster concentration and strategic thinking as children work independently to navigate the obstacles.
Keep children ages 2 to 5 engaged on road trips and during quiet time with these self-contained travel toys. Board measures 10" x 8.75“.
Ages 3-6
SUPER VALUE PRESCHOOL MATH TOYS: Our math game is equipped with 1 wooden board, 5 wooden stakes, 6 double-sided pattern cards, 24 arithmetic cards, 35 rings, and 1 storage bag. A good toy for children to learn math.
DEVELOPING CHILDREN'S SKILLS: Bright colors promote brain development and attract children to play. It can also stimulate children's imagination, exercise fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination ability.
PLAY METHOD: Select the number to be calculated from the arithmetic card, place rings of different colors on the pile according to the formula, match the color ring with the cartoon card to complete the picture, or create different patterns with the color ring, such as letters, numbers, flowers, etc
Encourages fine motor skills and cognitive skills, and activities to offer kids a creative focus and a sense of accomplishment. Develop distribution of thoughts and coordination ability, build confidence for kids accompanied with parents.
Ages 4+
Bath time or anytime – Step aside rubber ducky! Silly Suckers just got a little more interesting! Water-resistant and portable. These suckers can come with you anywhere. Yes, they even make great airplane activities for kids!
Sensory, focus, and fidget – Silly Suckers double as autism toys, fine motor skills toys and make fantastic learning resources (ideal Montessori toys for toddlers). The shape and function encourage the development of motor skills, coordination, and focus. They also keep those little fidget fingers very busy!
BUILD fine motor skills as you snag oodles of noodles for knock-out bowls of ramen!
3-IN-1 LEARNING: preschool fine motor, counting, and color skills!
SOLO or group playtest fine motor skills on your own or with up to three friends!
ALL-IN-ONE reusable packaging acts as a game board and storage!
GREAT STEM LEARNING:This teacher-recommended, innovative playset provides your kids with a solid foundation for in-demand skills! From science and physics to math and geometry, our educational toys encourage kids to build their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as well as their teamwork and social skills.
12-in-1 Solar Robot Kits -This science kit for kids can build more than 12 different types of robots by themselves which helps children build a solid foundation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at an early age.
Solar Powerd Eco-friendly Toys: Powered by the sun, no batteries needed. The robot kit includes a solar power panel that collects solar heat energy into an electric energy drive motor, which drives the gears to make the machine run smoothly.
Motor Skills Toys for Kids with Clear Instructions: Kids could complete the building by following the instruction manual. We recommend parents and kids work together to finish the first robot building while enjoying the process of family collaboration.
Fort Building Kit: Comes with 67 sticks(15.3' Long), 16 blue balls, 16 green balls, and a storage bag. The construction building kit allows your child to set up a variety of shapes.
Stable Construct: Premium material makes building a fort more easily and stable. Install the rods into the balls simply, which can connect better with the balls, not easily collapse.
STEM Toys for Boys & Girls: Building a fort not only develops your child's stem skills but also encourages interest, even imagination, and teamwork. Good education toys for your kids.
Create Unlimited Possibilities: It's the ultimate fort-building kit for children. Form a tunnel, tent Indoor & Outdoor, princess castle, igloo, and arch.
Disclaimer: These items are part of an affiliate link. These are just recommendations. They can give you some ideas related to the subject. Please look at product details for appropriate age and education level.
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