A fun activity that will help to develop pinching skills, which are needed for holding onto pencils, is hiding small objects, such as wiggly eyes, coins or beads in Silly Putty that has been stretched out. Then, have the child stretch the putty to find the objects. Make sure an accurate count of the number of objects is recorded so it will be known when the objects have all been found.
Another way to develop fine motor skills is to let the child play with building blocks or miniature cars or work on puzzles. Also, any games in which the child needs to hold onto cards or handle small game pieces will also develop these skills.
Allowing a child to pretend to be a teacher and write on the chalkboard or paper taped on the wall will help to work on wrist control.
Most children like to be creative when given a little freedom in creations. This is also a way to help build fine motor skills without being aware that skills are being built. When a child colors with crayons, markers or finger paints, there is learning control of small muscles going on. Using scissors, tearing paper or cutting through clay with scissors are other activities that help with developing fine motor skills. When a child begins to use art supplies, it is usually better to begin with fat crayons or beginner scissors and eventually move to smaller sizes as the skills develop.
Squirting water at things is a great way to strengthen finger muscles. Give a child a spray bottle and make a simple target to aim at, preferably outside, and watch the fun that is being had while building muscles. Another fine motor skill that can be developed easily is eye-hand coordination. This can be done by giving a child a pattern to copy, such as a string of beads, or a pattern on a card that can be copied using blocks. This also helps in developing visual motor skills.