Okay so my new 4 yr old that started yesterday. Today I discovered that not only is he what I consider "behind" as far as pre K knowledge, but he apparently has never touched a pair of scissors, a paint brush, or glue.

So my question is do you all have any great sites or anything for resources where I can get him on some crafts for fine motor development that he can actually do without me touching? I don't like to touch their work, but today I had to assist him in holding paper while he was cutting it, after I put the scissors on his hand. (modeling was not working).

I think part of this is compounded by he doesn't have a "hand" He still moves silverware and crayons and such from hand to hand. One parent is left handed, the other right so I talked to dad last night and they are still waiting to see which one he chooses. I of course don't want to push him one way or the other. I have never quite seen this issue before.

He is starting kindy in August, so I would like to have him closer to ready. I know that isn't totally my job, but it is what I want to do.

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I have one that was like this. He had very limited fine motor skills so we went back to basics. Started out with playdough, painting (with an assortment of tools), and colouring. Now he is using a pencil and wants to learn how to write his name. We also did a lot of painting/moving liquids with eye droppers. Tweezers/grippers to move stuff around. Clothespins to pick stuff up to paint with. Etc.

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I have him using a crayon to make letters. We are working on A and I can recognize it. I haven't gotten him out the playdoh yet, we will do that tomorrow.

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stickers are good for fine motor. At our dollar stores they have sticker books with paper faces and silly expressions to put on them. I also do a lot of glue stick collages, ripping paper into small pieces is good for getting them ready to begin to use scissors, snipping just the ends of paper (like fringe), if they're not quite there with cutting through the whole paper. Use heavy paper, too, that helps. Pony beads on pipe cleaners.

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Can you give hime a bunch of paper, scissors, and glue sticks and let him go to town with it? It wouldn't be a "craft" but he'd get practice with scissors and glue.

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Open ended art supplies are great for developing fine motor. He can have scissors out and scraps to cut. As well as the play dough with tools- or even without. Academics aren't necessary before kindergarten. Many of the best ece programs around my area do no academics. That's what they'll learn in k.

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I like those foam stickers that the kids have to peel the back off to use. Great for fine motor skills.

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Thanks for all the thoughts guys. We are only doing about an hour a day of "school" right now. I don't want to burn him out. My youngest is 17, and I guess I feel in a pinch because it seems like they move so fast with them in school now. He is the first preK I have had since I reopened. I quit doing daycare to do foster care when DD was 3, I didn't feel nearly so much pressure then. I don't know why I do now.

I will be getting out the play doh tomorrow, because all kids love that, even the SA ones. And I will just tone down my "open ended" art box. I have lots in it but for him right now I may just do paper, scissors, glue, and stickers for now.

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I agree with this. Also, the playdough, paint, stickers, etc.

I never used glue sticks because kids always ruined them by making them go up and down and they didn't seem to stick all that well. Maybe they have improved by now? I would squeeze a little puddle of glue on a paper plate and let them paint the glue on. You could let a 4 year old squirt the puddle on.

I used to sit with the children (especially if there are no other children to model) and do it with them. For cutting I would do the fringe like someone else said or cut strips of paper for them to cut into little pieces. That way it is one snip and success. I'd do it also. Then he can glue the little pieces on a paper.

I really didn't mind assisting at first. I would sometimes hold the paper until they could if they had the holding the scissors part down. Or do it sometimes and then "be busy" with your own paper sometimes so they don't get dependent on you doing it. The strips of paper make it so you really don't have to do any holding anyway. They gave the children paper strips to cut in a Montessori school I worked in.

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