Why Coloring is Important for Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are those skills that allow you to develop the ability to do such things as write and manipulate small objects There are a lot of activities that you can do with your child to help enhance their fine and gross motor skills. Most people do not realize how these skills can affect a child. The development of fine and gross motor skills allows them to perform better in other, more academic and physical ways.

Pre-kindergartners can benefit from experiences that support the development of fine motor skills in the hands and fingers. Children will need to have strength and dexterity in their hands and fingers before being asked to manipulate a pencil on paper. Working on dexterity and strength first can eliminate the development of an inappropriate pencil grasp, which has become more commonplace as young children are engaged in writing experiences before their hands are ready. By using the appropriate activities (involving degrees of manipulation)they will support young children’s fine motor development, and will help to build the strength and dexterity necessary to hold a pencil appropriately.

Coloring helps strengthen muscles needed for writing.

When a certain amount of body stability has developed, the hands and fingers will begin to work on movements of dexterity and isolation as well as different kinds of grasps. Children will develop fine motor skills best when they work on a vertical or near vertical surface as much as possible. If possible, the wrist must be in extension. (Bent back in the direction of the hand) This makes coloring one of the best activities in developing motor skills. While traditional coloring in a coloring book is great here are some activities that take coloring to a whole new level and will delight your preschooler and promote creativity.

1. Attach a large piece of drawing paper to the wall. Have the child use a large marker or crayon and try the following exercises to develop visual and fine motor skills. Make an outline of a simple figure. Have the child trace over your line from left to right, or from top to bottom. Trace each figure at least ten times . Then have the child draw the same figure next to your model several times.

2. Play Connect the Dots. It is helpful to make sure the child’s strokes connect dots from left to right, and from top to bottom. Use a variety of colors (crayons or markers) to make game fun.

3. Trace around stencils. Have the child use the non-dominant hand to hold the stencil flat and stable against the paper, while the dominant hand pushes the pencil firmly against the edge of the stencil. Then the child can color in the stenciled shape.

4. Have the child work on a chalkboard, using chalk instead of a marker. Do the same kinds of tracing and modeling activities as suggested above. Chalk comes in a variety of colors to make this activity extra fun!

5. Paint at an easel. This gives the child a chance to center their body while practicing visual motor skills as well. Some of the modeling activities as suggested above can also be done at the easel. Also give your child a chance to alternate between large, stubby brushes and smaller, finer brushes. The smaller the brush is, the more control they will need over their hands. Also you may want to try getting them to do some painting with cotton swabs. This affords some really fine work and allows them to develop their pincer grip which is needed for learning how to write.

6. A Magna Doodle can be a non-color way to color. Simply turn it upside down so that the erasing lever is on the top. You can have the child experiment making vertical, horizontal, and parallel lines.