Thank you ladies.
I've tried many of these and he has very limited interest for example he will get through his box of containers with lids very quickly (all different types of containers I put together for opening/closing) because he can do it, on the other hand he won't entertain his nuts and bolts because he finds it too hard. So we get stuck with it being either too easy or too hard. He loves stickers but gets insanely frustrated because he wants me to peel them off the sheet, I encourage him to do it himself and he will be ok for about 2 mins and I see his feeling of achievement when he manages one or two but then he loses interest because it's hard. He loves me to get the play dough out, but then wants me to do everything whilst he does almost nothing. I think fine motor play is just not his thing right now - which I suppose is why I'm looking for more ideas.
Anyone in the UK know where I can get some cheap and cheerful tongs/tweezers? I've been looking out for plastic salad server tongs but not found any yet. I have metal ones but there is quite a sharp edge and i know he'd end up running up and down with them rather than sitting still with them (I let him use them at dinner when he can't leave the table but otherwise they are not suitable for play).
Nuala I like the wooden peg idea. I think he would be more interested in pegs if they had meaning (he won't just 'play' with our pegs) - like letters written on each one, and i could make a series of cards with words for him to match up the letters and peg them on. I've added pegs to my shopping list.
Rubbing flour and butter he won't do, kneading real dough he won't do. He appears interested because it is 'real' (we do do cooking together) but when it really comes to it he finds it too hard, not enough of an instant result and tells me to do it.
I've added peg board to my shopping list too.
The first fine motor craft DS loved were usborne sticker books - the ones where you make scenes.
Added to wish list they look great, thanks
DS had two 'scenes' in reading books that came with stickers, he was motivated to try harder/longer because the stickers related to the story and he was supposed to retell the story on the board. He's far more likely to pile the stickers all on top of one another. Did you find this or was the scene done 'correctly'? He also likes looking back at the 'scene' he made but that doesn’t involve any fine motor, just looking and I suppose a degree of imagination as he re-lives the story looking at it.
have you tried something like Montessori sandpaper letters? Cut letter shapes out of fine sandpaper and stick on card, and show him the correct way to trace it with his finger. I've just started doing this with F
Does F sit still and show interest? I have a set of letters just about identical to this (but bought, I saw them dirt cheap so just got them). He will only sit for about 30 seconds. I think he knows how most/all the letters are formed even though he can't do it alone so lacks interest in tracing them with his finger. We can write a letter to Granny and it holds his attention for 5 mins, he gets very excited about it. I do hand over hand and mostly it feels like he is trying to form the letters correctly himself although if I let go he has just about no control of the pen. I think this is why he doesn't draw or scribble much, he just can't control the pen/chalk/crayon to the level he wants.
I'll list down O's fine motor activities from the occupational therapist.
Oh yes please if you find time!
I really feel like I've tried a lot. I know he is way more interested in gross motor, tearing around the play park or soft play. We do LOTS of this but there's a limit to how much I can pay out to go to swim/soft play and it's too wet just now for play parks.
Maybe I'm trying too hard. I mean just now he is entertaining himself with cars and his garage and some imaginative play with conversations going on between cars and little characters. He is turning a transformer from car to robot repeatedly and that involves fine motor.
