This classroom activity from Tania Cowling at Bright Hub can be made by preschool teachers to help students develop their fine motor skills. Teachers gather a variety of clothespins and paint them in red, yellow and blue. She will make baggies for each child filled with the different colors of clothespins. When the children play, they will dump their bags on the table with the clothespins on top of each other. The child will pick up one clothespin at a time sorting them into different color piles.
Teachers create whole-group games to allow students to develop and practice fine motor skills. In this game from Hocus Pocus, the teacher begins by collecting enough scarves so that each child has one. She also has a black cauldron available as a receptacle for the scarves during the game. Students line up in two rows facing each other. The teacher spreads out the scarves in between the two lines of students. The first person on each team is given a set of tongs. When the teacher blows her whistle, the two kids with the tongs go to the center and try to pick up a scarf. With the scarf in the tongs, the child walks to the cauldron and drops it inside. The child then passes off the tongs to the next person in line to do the same. The first team where each person has put a scarf into the cauldron is declared the winner.
Any opportunity for kids to use scissors will help them develop their fine motor skills. As preschoolers, this practice will help them develop the skills necessary for later when they are gripping a pencil for writing. Activities from Loubina Buxamusa at Education.com suggest that teachers provide many opportunities for different types of cutting in the classroom. Teachers can bring junk mail to school for students to cut into various shapes. Students collect different pieces of construction paper and create fringe on the edges. Another fun treat is for young children use scissors to cut play dough.