5+ Examples of Fine Motor Skills for Each Age Group 

As a homeschool parent you may be wondering if your children are developing appropriately and what exactly you should be teaching and introducing to them. We have put together this list of examples of fine motor skills for each age group so that you can work on specific skills with your children in your homeschool. 

Fine Motor Skills for Each Age Group

If you have multiple children you know that the age range of normal development can vary greatly from child to child with how they progress at different rates. Children develop at their own pace, yet is always nice to know if they are on the right track just for some peace of mind though.

Fine motor development is an important thing to watch as you are homeschooling your children. You will want to make sure that they don’t have developmental delays and are getting enough fine motor practice through play and homeschool lessons.

Fine Motor Skills Examples by Age Range

Let’s take a look at some examples of the fine motor milestones that your children should reach for each age group starting at age 2 and up. Fine motor skills develop in stages and each stage builds hand-eye coordination, strength, and dexterity.

These are examples of the skills that a child should be able to perform and the average age you can usually see them accomplish these skills.

Fine Motor Skills for 2-3 Years

• Can complete simple wooden puzzles.
• Build a tower of 3-4 small blocks.
• Turn over the pages of a book one page at a time.
• Ability to copy or imitate drawing circles, or a straight line.
• String 3-4 large beads onto yarn.
• Uses one hand consistently.

Fine Motor Skills for 3-4 Years

• Copy block designs of up to six blocks that you lay out on the floor from a set of wooden blocks or Duplo bricks.
• Trace lines.
• Follow and string a simple pattern of beads.
• Be able to roughly cut out shapes.
• Brush hair and own teeth independently.
• Fasten large buttons and put on articles of clothing such as shoes and socks.
• Use their non-dominant hand to help balance objects.
• Copy drawing a complete circle or a cross.
• Open bags and small containers with lids.
• Complete a 4-6 piece puzzle.

Fine Motor Skills for 4-5 Years

• Build with age appropriate Legos.
• Hold a pencil in a tripod grasp.
• Color inside the lines.
• Copy numbers up to 5.
• Copy alphabet letters.
• Complete an 8-12 piece puzzle.
• Write their name.
• Cut along a line.
• Dress and undress themselves with little help.
• Independently draw a picture.
• Copy drawing simple pictures.

Fine Motor Skills for 5-6 Years

• Cut out simple shapes.
• Build with Legos.
• Write out the numbers 1-10.
• Write all alphabet letters independently.
• Color inside the lines.
• Draw a triangle.
• Be able to complete cut and paste projects.
• Use a knife and fork.
• Complete a 20 piece puzzle.

Fine Motor Skills for 6-7 Years

• Dress without any help.
• Form all letters and numbers.
• Write on lined paper.
• Draw detailed pictures independently.
• Tie shoes.

Fine Motor Skills for 7-8 Years

• Cuts neatly around shapes.
• Writes neatly for a longer period of time.
• Complete larger puzzles.

Fun Activities to Add Fine Motor Practice into Your Homeschool

The preschool years are an important time when your child’s fine motor skills are really starting to develop. The small muscles of the hands are getting stronger and their hand-eye coordination improves each year.

We love including lots of hands-on activities into our daily homeschool routine. It’s a great way to help their fine motor control ad your child’s development while learning at the same time.

Playdough

The use of playdough in your homeschool can not only keep young children busy for hours, it is also a great learning tool. It is the perfect way to help them develop fine motor skills by shaping, rolling and using playdough mats.

Developing Fine Motor Skills with Playdough -This post will give you lots of ideas for using playdough to specifically help develop fine motor skills.

Cut and Paste Printables

Using cut and paste printables is an amazing way to build fine motor skills and increase creativity and cognitive thinking skills. Cutting and pasting will help your children have good control of their fine motor skills as they work through the projects.

550 + Fun Cut and Paste Printables for Kids – Learn more about the benefits of cut and paste printables, as well as links to over 25 worksheet activity packs with over 550 pages of cut and paste fun.

Household Chores

Do you incorporate chore time into your daily homeschool schedule? Daily routines of age-appropriate chores can naturally improve fine motor skills. These everyday tasks engage muscles in the hands and fingers, promoting dexterity and helping children learn responsibility.

• Sweeping – Holding and moving a broom around builds hand grip strength.
• Folding Laundry – Start small with washcloths or dish towels and work your way up to clothes. This helps with precision and hand coordination.
• Washing Dishes – Squeezing sponges and handling soapy dishes strengthens little fingers and improves grip control.
• Setting the Table – Enhances hand-eye coordination and helps with concentration skills.
• Baking and Cooking – Decorating cookies, or mixing ingredients helps with pincer grasp and builds hand strength.