Fine motor skills are a foundational part of early childhood development that play a critical role in a child's ability to perform everyday tasks and succeed academically, especially in earlier grades. In kindergarten, these skills become increasingly important as handwriting emerges as a primary method for learning and demonstrating knowledge across subjects. Without strong fine motor development, students may struggle with tasks like pencil grip, cutting with scissors, and writing legibly, which can impact their confidence and academic growth.
In this post, I explore the importance of fine motor skills and handwriting in early education, highlight the impact of targeted interventions and purposeful play, and offer practical classroom strategies to support young learners in building these essential skills.
Fine Motor Skills and Handwriting
Fine motor skills are used in tasks like picking up objects, feeding oneself, threading, drawing, cutting, and dressing. They typically develop after gross motor skills and require time, patience, and practice to strengthen. By kindergarten, most children should be able to use the tripod grip with a pencil, grasp objects, use scissors to cut lines, zip and button clothes, and have mostly legible writing of letters and shapes. Some factors that can affect fine motor skills include certain medical conditions and learning differences that may require more professional assistance. Handwriting is especially important at this stage as it supports academic success across subject areas.
One study suggested that when classroom teachers worked with occupational therapists in their classrooms, they saw a significant growth in student fine motor skills and writing abilities. The occupational therapists ran a 13-week intervention program for at-risk preschoolers with the classroom teacher in hopes of increasing the knowledge of fine motor skills and how it affects writing readiness.
The goal of this program was to enhance the teacher's understanding of foundational prewriting skills, fine motor development, and multisensory processing needed for writing readiness in kindergarten. The preschool students that started at the beginning of the program, who were not being able to complete any prewriting or tracing skills, reportedly made significant growth in those tasks by the end of the 13 weeks.
Another study highlighted the importance of play-based learning with a goal in mind. Goal-oriented play involves active movement that engages the body's muscles, helping to stimulate and strengthen muscle function. Motor exercises benefit all children, especially ages five to six when motor development is best stimulated. The more students are playing and developing those fine motor skills, will help their eyes and hands work together when writing starts to take place.
Classroom Implications
As a kindergarten teacher, at the beginning of every year I observe my students and make notes of who is having difficulties holding a pencil or crayon, writing their name, and cutting lines with scissors. Throughout the year, I will provide targeted instruction and engaging activities to support students who are struggling, giving them opportunities to practice and strengthen their fine motor skills in fun and meaningful ways. My goal is to help students strengthen their fine motor skills early so they are not still struggling later in the year and can show progress in their writing.
One way teachers can support fine motor skill play is offering
fine motor activity bins. I keep these bins in my classroom so that all students can choose one in the morning. These bins include:
- Playdough
- Screwing on nuts to bolts
- Putting links together to make a chain
- Squeezing a tennis ball to open a slit and putting small beads inside
- Pokey pin papers where they will use a golf tee to poke the dots on a picture
Consider incorporating items that children can physically hold and manipulate into your teaching. The more hands-on materials and tools you use during lessons, the more beneficial it will be for young learners.
When teaching handwriting, it is so important to
explicitly teach holding a pencil, correct letter formation, spatially showing where each letter should be, and writing left to right. For students who aren't yet able to independently write letters and words, I use a highlighter to write them first, allowing the students to trace over and practice that way. For students with physical disabilities, I recommend using a pencil grip, selecting smaller pencils, breaking their crayons in half, or using thicker crayons to help with their grip. Some students can benefit from writing on a slanted surface so their shoulder and upper arm muscles are being strengthened.
At-Home Activities
If a student is not making adequate progress with these handwriting skills throughout the year, I will try to incorporate more fine motor activities into their learning. I also share simple fine motor activities with parents for their child to complete at home using materials they already have, without the need to purchase anything. Some of these activities include:
- Peeling fruit
- Squeezing sponges to transfer water into buckets
- Peeling stickers or tape
- Using a spray bottle
- Rolling playdough or bread dough
- Buttoning and zipping clothes
Developing strong fine motor skills in early childhood is essential for building the foundation needed for handwriting and overall academic success. As handwriting becomes a central mode of learning in kindergarten, students who struggle with fine motor tasks may face challenges in keeping up with writing tasks. With intentional support through targeted interventions, purposeful play, and engaging hands-on activities, educators can help students strengthen these skills early on. By observing student needs, incorporating fine motor practice into daily routines, and partnering with families, teachers play a vital role in supporting each child’s development. Investing time in building fine motor abilities not only prepares students for writing but also fosters confidence, independence, and long-term academic growth.
Jaimie Catterall has been teaching kindergarten for 10 years at the Spring Lake Park School District in Minnesota. She specializes in phonics and early writing instruction, helping young learners build strong literacy foundations. She is also passionate about supporting students' social-emotional growth, creating a classroom environment where children feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.
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