Learning handwriting is more than just practicing writing letters and numbers. Children need sufficient fine motor practice for pencil control. So, tracing practice and fine motor development go hand-in-hand. That is why we are providing free downloadable fine motor mats. Our books provide the practice needed for handwriting, and these mats provide the practice needed for fine motor development.
Some of the best ways to help children learn letter and number formation are through play. Little fingers and hands need time and practice to develop the fine motor skills required for handwriting. We are going to show you 10 ways to develop your child’s fine motor skills while practicing letter formation using our multi-purpose fine motor mats. The versatility of these activities allows your child to do many of them with just a single mat.
With all of these activities, you’ll want to make sure that your child knows to start on the starting dot and follow the proper formation to make the letter. To make it easier and more fun for your learner to understand how to form the letter, show them our YouTube video for the letter they’re working on. The letter located in the top left corner of the mat has the starting dot with directional strokes to serve as a reminder for correct formation.
These mats are the perfect addition to our Handwriting Books 1 and 2. Using these as part of your routine will help develop your child’s fine motor skills and reinforce what they are learning in the program.
First, you can print them all out then store them in a folder for easy access. This will make it more convenient and easier to incorporate as part of your handwriting routine.
Now, here’s what you’ve been waiting for. Here are 10 ways to use our fine motor mats.
1. Blocks or other small toys
Starting on the starting dot, your child can use small blocks or toys to fill inside the letter. Remind them to follow the correct stroke order.
2. Pipe Cleaner Letter Building
Pipe cleaners can be cut and bent making them perfect for letter building. We like to use a different color for every stroke to help reinforce proper letter formation. Remember that the pipe cleaner ends can be sharp, so be careful.
3. Pom Pom Pickup
Play pom pom pickup using a clothespin, children’s tweezers, or tongs. Pick up the pom poms and place them in the letter for an activity that works on their hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, and hand strength.
4. Salt Tracing
Using a small low container or tray, fill it with just enough salt to cover the bottom. Have your child trace the letter with their index finger for a fun sensory experience. A paintbrush or popsicle stick can be used instead of fingers if desired. To make it more fun, add some colorful paper or giftwrap to the bottom of the container before adding salt, or add some textured paper instead. Tracing textured paper such as glitter paper or sandpaper with an index finger is a great way to enhance the sensory component of this activity. Gently move the container from side to side to erase the letter and start over.
5. Snack Time Tracing
This is a fun way to incorporate learning into another kid favorite time – snack time! A dry erase sleeve, sheet protector, or gallon size freezer bag will help protect the sheet from the usual snack time mess. First, give your child a bite size snack. Straight long snacks can also be used for letters that have long lines. Then, have them start on the dot and form the letter with their snack using the correct letter formation. Next, they can eat their snack in the correct letter formation order.
6. Sticker Fun
Grab some stickers and have your child place the stickers on the letter in the proper order. Peeling the stickers off the sheet is good practice for their pincer grasp.
7. Play Dough
If you want to reuse the sheet for other activities, put it in a dry erase sleeve or a sheet protector before using the play dough. Rolling, stretching, and squishing playdough is a great sensory experience. It also strengthens little hand muscles, the same muscles needed for holding a pencil.
8. Dot Marker
Using a dot or bingo marker, your child can trace the letter starting at the dot. This is a great activity for fine motor control and hand-eye coordination.
9. Wikki Stix
Wikki Stix are awesome! They can be cut, bent, and curved as needed to form letters and make anything else you want. Best of all, you can use them over and over again. There are endless creative uses with Wikki Stix, so they can be used beyond handwriting activities. They provide a unique tactile experience that many children enjoy. Simply start at the dot and place the stick following the direction of the first stroke. Encourage your child to change colors for the next stroke which will help them focus on correct letter formation.
10. Q-tip Painting
Kids who like painting will enjoy painting letters with a Q-tip. This is great for practicing their pincer grasp and the precision required helps with fine motor control. Switching paint colors for each stroke is a fun way to emphasize correct letter formation. After making the dots, it’s fun to trace the letter with a Q-tip and drag the paint over the letter.
So, there’s our 10 ways to get those little finger and hands moving and playing. For convenience, you could put the supplies together in a small bin. We recommend doing these activities at least once a week or as many times as works for you and your learner. These beneficial activities are great for your child’s development, so they can’t be overdone.
Click the link below to be taken to our download section where you can download the mats in either color or black and white. We hope you enjoy our free fine motor mats.
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