TJK Articles

Art and Craft Ideas To Improve Motor Skills In Preteens

Written by Pakhi Rewri | Mar 1, 2025 7:30:00 AM

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Introduction

Craft activities are highly engaging and require a proper synchronization of one's hands moment and mind. Since every activity requires detailing, kids learn the importance of precision. While the immediate benefit of art and craft is enhanced self-expression and imagination, it also has a great connection with the development of motor skills.

The connection of dots and the movement of the pencil from one place to another requires precision. Whether it's cutting different shapes with scissors or doing craft activities such as beading or playing with clay, all of these help in refining a child's motor skills. Children with properly developed motor skills are more likely to have better posture and coordination among bodily movements.

Art & Craft Activities For Better Motor Skills

Here is a list of some uncomplicated art and craft activities that parents can include in their child's regime to develop motor skills.

  • Finger Painting

Fingerprinting requires your child to take different paints, colors, and a sheet of paper. The next step is to paint the fingers with the painting color and then put the impression of the fingers on the paper. This is a very fun activity that is also quite easy to do at home. Children of all ages will find it uncomplicated. It might get a bit messy, but it involves colors and a lot of sensory play. Also, involve your child in the cleaning process after the painting activities are done.

  • Best Out of Waste

The best out of waste is a sustainable craft activity that requires you to use any waste material from your home and turn it into a craft project. You can use waste plastic bottles to make a pen stand or a shoebox to make a jewelry box. Since these activities will require a lot of cutting, pasting, and painting, it will help your child develop better motor skills.

  • Playing With Clay

Using clay to make different objects requires a lot of sensory play. It involves molding the clay into different forms and constantly squeezing, pinching, and molding it into different shapes. This is an excellent exercise for the kid and promotes flexibility in the fingers. The child also learns how to sculpt at home. Introduce different types of clays to your child and teach them proper clay molding with molds and other assisting instruments.

  • Stringing

Stringing beads into a thread requires a lot of detail and concentration. You can arrange some colorful beads and help your child. Each of these beads is put into the thread to make a jewelry piece. Try making different types of jewelry pieces, such as a bracelet, earrings, and a ring. It's a craft project that also leaves a child with a reward at the end of the process. Also, since it requires such precise attention, the child's motor skills eventually become stronger.

  • Coloring & Painting

Basic coloring on large images can be a good way to teach precision to kids. Once they get good at filling colors inside big images, introduce them to different coloring books where the patterns are a bit more complex. Teach them to not take color outside the figure. You will see that with practice, the child becomes more accurate with coloring within the margin of the drawing. This is a reflection of enhanced motor skills.

Painting is a creative ability where a child will have to constantly use colors and brushes to draw figures and different scenes. It is an activity that requires advanced level motor skills as one has to switch from one corner to the other while rotating with different paints. Hence, a person has to be extremely precise and have a controlled moment. It is also a process that requires patience as one doesn't get an instant output.

  • Scrapbook

Making a scrapbook is a highly stimulating and artistic process that requires hard work and dedication. A scrapbook is made of different elements such as paper, cardboard, files, scratches, paints, and a lot of different things that one can add. Select a topic and assist your child to make a scrapbook on it. Encourage them to execute their artistic ideas to make them more authentic and special. The detailed work will require the child to use their mind and hands in coherence for longer hours.

  • Stitching

Basic stitching such as doing easy embroidery or sewing a button is also an effective way to enhance a child’s motor skills. However, parents must remember that this is an activity that should be done under proper surveillance and guidance of some adults. Also, do not start with something too technical and difficult for the child to understand. First, teach them simple stitches and then make a gradual progression. The child will develop great eye-to-hand coordination.

Conclusion

Motor activities are a tactile way of improving cognitive and bodily coordination. These integrated and immersive activities can transform complex learning into something similar and extremely fun.