Fine Motor Skills: Pin Pricking

As I sit here racking my brain for a way to begin this post about fine motor skills, my Miss K (2yo) is banging away in our writing and art area. She’s got a tub filled with markers and stamp markers, and is happily creating, with stamps and scribbles on a bright blue piece of paper.

Seems like an ordinary thing, and I’m grateful that we get to have moments like that regularly, so it is very much part of our every day. Surrounding kids every day with opportunities to develop their fine motor skills helps them strengthen the hand muscles they need for fine movements.

Here is a fun and engaging fine motor skill activity that is used regularly in my kindergarten classroom. It was new to me, and I love it so much that I’ve wanted to share it here on the blog for awhile now. I’m glad I am finally putting this post together!

We use pin pricking activities to help children build up their fine motor skills. The stronger their fine motor skills, the easier it will be for them to manipulate and control a range of materials and tools, like pencils, scissors, brushes, etc.

The pin pricking activity shown here, was put together by one of the other kindergarten teachers at my school. We used it as one of our phonics activities for “i”. The idea behind a pin pricking activity is very simple. Children use something sharp, like a toothpick or pin, to prick a hole at every dot on the page.

We were out of pins and toothpicks at home, so Mr 3 used one of our bento food picks.

I encourage children to use a pincer grip during the activity by asking them to create a quacking duck with their thumb and index finger. I then place the pick in between their thumbs and index finger.

To create a pin prick activity of your own, simply find either a letter, a word, or a picture, or a combination of these. Draw large (or small) dots on the letter, words, pictures.

To play, find a spot on the carpet. With Mr E, I also placed a cork board that came with our tap tap set as a base for the activity. However, in my classroom, the children comfortably do the activity on the carpet. Your child will also need a pin, toothpick or food pick. They have to prick a hole at every dot on the page. When the activity is done, it’s fun to flip the page over and see the image they have created with their holes. It’s also lovely to have light shine through the finished page, after the pin pricking has been done.

More Activities for Preschoolers

Three to Five: Playful Preschool is stuffed to the brim with tried, tested and loved playful learning ideas for preschoolers. There are 25+ ideas for preschoolers, ten printable resources and additional links to over 50 more activities. A great resource for parents. Download your copy here.

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