In my Waldorf training, the young child's development of the fine motor skills was viewed as more important than teaching rote skills(such as recognizing the sounds of the letters). The hand can be considered as an instrument of intelligence. Philipp Martzog, a researcher, found that better fine motor skills in the early years might have a direct relationship to higher intelligence level and specifically – deductive thinking. His findings pointed to the relationship between fine motor skills and flexibility in the thinking.
Fine motor skills is how young children develop cognitive abilities in early childhood. It is why we call it “hands-on” learning.
Perhaps the development of fine motor skills is far more important than just the ability to use pencils and markers. The hand is the first tool young children have to express their thoughts and ideas. In the Waldorf schools, the development of the hand includes finger knitting in kindergarten and actually knitting in first grade. I found in my kindergarten, children found deep satisfaction with learning how to finger knit and making bracelets.
I think it is worth giving children many invitations to play that develop and expand their fine motor capacities.
Fine Motor Activity Bottles with Loose Parts
This activity is simple and can be set up with recycled materials. This is a great opportunity to use textile and fabric based loose parts.
The task is simple. To fill the plastic bottle with the various loose parts. Yarns and ribbons are the most difficult to guide into the bottle. The straws, pipe cleaners and feathers are easier. You want to set up an invitation to fill the bottle with a variety of materials that offer different levels of challenge. Provide scissors so yarns, straws and other materials can be cut before adding.
Adjust this to fit the developmental needs of your class or child.
Putting the yarn into the bottle takes both the fingers and eyes to guide.
Big fluffy pipe cleaners…
Feathers.
Straws.
The results are beautiful and look lovely displayed in a window sill or capped and put in blocks for building!
good?
Let me know what you would like to know more about! I am here to answer questions.
Brilliant as ever!
So happy you liked it! Inspired by teachers at Rosa Parks!
Great idea for fine motorskills development. Especially great for eye coordination. Love this idea !!
Hi can you please tell how the reggio emilia approach think adults should support child learning
It looks beautiful! I love it. Thanks for sharing.
Also in a Steiner Kindergarten winding wool into balls. Weaving,making pom poms and god’s eyes. The painting wet on wet (water colour)
Thank you for the wonderful idea and thorough insight into the importance of fine motor activity.
So refreshing to see activities that actually reflect valid hands-on-experiences, not “refrigerator art, or heaven forbid a worksheet. Lol
I really love this. I am running a program at my synagogue for the Jewish holiday of sukkot, where we decorate a small outdoor enclosure. This is perfect.
This will make the humongous window in our nursery be filled with colors.
This is a very fun project. Very fun and creative. I posted yesterday.
I love this activity. Simple so creative. I agree with Debbie it is so refreshing to see hands-on activities. When students are fully engaged in a task, they are actively doing and actively thinking, While hands are engaged, minds should be questioning, sorting through sensory input, and making connections. https//teachhub.com>activel
Sally, I love this! My 3 children were so luckyto have had an amazing early years experience with two of our closest friends and two super creative and inspirational ladies. They experienced a mix of Montessori, play based and Steiner/Waldorf programmes.
They learned to nurture all living things as they collected eggs from the chickens to make their own mid morning scone/pizza snack or fed their scraps to Pablo the pig or Miro the dog. They grew food and flowers. All of their art was naturally based, they felted, made beautiful pottery pieces and used actual canvas and whatever medium they wanted to create pieces. There was no formal learning and their memories of ‘Little Picassos’ and ‘Land of the Living Heart’ are so strong to this day.
Every child deserves this! Every child has a right to this!
Hello,
I found it very helpful. The thing that sounds me more attracting is the use of materials. Actually, these materials do not cost much and can be available at home only. It reminds me about my childhood days because I used to play with bottles and mud and water to sustain play with my sisters and brothers.
LOVE this…a great way to introduce perspective as well.