Home learning: fine motor

Toilet paper roll threading
This is a great spin on the classic pasta necklace. It uses either toilet paper or paper towel rolls which are big enough to pose no choking hazard and easier for little hands to thread onto the ribbon. Still any time anything goes around your child’s neck you must stay within arm’s reach! We have popped ribbons into our younger munchkins’ Home Play packs to try this fine motor activity at home. 

Play dough fun
Play dough is one of our most favourite things to play and is an amazing tool that provides many learning opportunities for children. All munchkins will receive their very own play dough mat and we hope everyone enjoys experimenting and making play dough creations. Share your pictures on Tapestry.

Benefits of play dough
When children squish, roll, flatten, shape, score or cut play dough, they develop and strengthen their hand muscles. The strengthened hand muscles helps improve fine motor skills of children and  improved pincer grip enhances children’s pre-writing skills.
Play-dough provides children with unlimited possibilities of moulding the dough into food, animals, decorations, flowers etc. Thereby, it encourages children to use their imagination and inspires creativity. Use of variety of shapes and rolling pins while playing with play-dough will improve children’s hand-eye-coordination.
When children mix two different colour dough together and discover a new colour or when they learn to mould play dough in different shapes, it encourages their curiosity and they will ask various questions which would help increase their knowledge and help overall development.
When children play with play-dough along with other siblings or grown ups they will interact, talk, discuss problems and find solutions to creating great works of art and craft with play dough. Thus, playing with play dough will enhance children’s social skills.
Also Sitting at one place and squishing and squashing of play dough will have a very calming and soothing effect on children. It will also provide them with great option to express their emotions.