Learn more about fine motor skills including facts from fine motor research and a comprehensive fine motor program which improves children's fine motor skills in preparation for success at school. Fantastic Fingers® is an effective fine motor program developed by occupational therapist Ingrid C. King. It is suitable for children ages 4+ as part of a school readiness programme. The songs and games can also be used to help older children with special needs as part of an occupational therapy program. Visit www.learnmyfantasticfingers.com and www.facebook.com/myfantasticfingers

1.  Frustrated &
embarrassed in front of
their peers
 Difficulty keeping up
with the required
volume of written work
 Academic progress
affected
 Lowered self-esteem
 Behavioural problems*
* Ratcliffe. I, Franzsen, D.& Bischof, F. (2011). Development of a Scissor Skills Programme for Grade 0
Children in South Africa: A Pilot Study. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 41 (2), 24-32.

2.  In Australia 23% of five year olds are developmentally
vulnerable in the physical health and wellbeing
domain of the AEDI checklist. This includes fine motor
skills, handedness & coordination*
 Internationally, approximately 12% of children have
difficulties with manual dexterity**
 In the US estimates of children with handwriting
dysfunction range from 10-30%***
* A Snapshot of Early Childhood Development in Australia 2012: Australian Early Development Index
National Report. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from
http://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/aedi/Report_NationalReport_2012_1
** Ratcliffe. I, Franzsen, D.& Bischof, F. (2011). Development of a Scissor Skills Programme for Grade 0
Children in South Africa: A Pilot Study. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 41 (2), 24-32.
*** Feder, K., Majnemer, A.& Synnes, A. (2000). Handwriting: Current Trends in Occupational Therapy
Practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 197-204.

3. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Ages 3-
5yrs*
Ages 5-
6yrs*
Grades
2,4,6**
Other Classroon
Tasks
Fine Motor Writing
Tasks
Fine Motor
Manipulative Tasks
In total an average
of 42% of time is
spent on fine motor
tasks
* Marr, D., Cermak, S.A., Cohn, E.S. & Henderson A. (2003). Fine Motor Activities in Head Start and Kindergarten
Classrooms. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(5), 550-557.
* McHale, K. & Cermak, S.A. (1992). Fine Motor Activities in Elementary School: Preliminary Findings and Provisional
Implications for Children with Fine Motor Problems. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46(10), 898-903.

4. 1. Executive
Function (incl.
Attention)
3. Early
Maths Skills
4. Fine Motor Skills
2. Early
Language &
Reading Skills
Grade 2
Maths
Grade 2
Reading
Grissmer et al (2010) argued that early childhood education interventions
should shift focus from direct math and reading instructional practices to
more on building foundation skills of attention and fine motor

5. Dinehart and Manfra (2013) p159: It is unclear whether
early childhood teachers understand
 the value of fine motor skills
 and have the means by which to instruct, evaluate,
and provide early intervention services for children
with limited fine motor ability
Further research is needed to determine how effective
teaching teachers about the importance of fine motor
skills will be on improving their student’s fine motor
skills… and determine the effectiveness of adding
these skills to early education curricula. These findings
will be central to educational policy and practice
* Dinehart, L. & Manfra, L. (2013). Associations Between Low-Income Children’s
Fine Motor Skills in Preschool and Academic Performance in Second Grade.
Early Education and Development, 24, 138-161.

6. Teaching staff and OT worked collaboratively to address the
fine motor needs of a group of five year old children. The
children participated in 60 sessions of activities from an early
version of Fantastic Fingers®
Fine Motor Program.
Evaluation of the children’s performance prior to and
following intervention, revealed a statistically significant
improvement in their fine motor skills. Teacher perception of
the training and intervention was positive with a follow-up
six years later, showing that the training and program
continue to be included in the teaching program.
by Ingrid C. King

7. ‘There is an enormous need for fine motor development. If the
students don’t have good fine motor skills then how will they
write their name or a sentence…
The activities are fabulous . They are fun and have a dual
purpose (integrating the curriculum). I still use them.
The collaboration (between us) was enormous … I’m a hands-
on kind of person and I needed you to show me so that it would
stick in my brain…
It was very easy to carry on with the program when you left…’

8. ®
 Updated in 2015 & now
includes: 100 activities,
15 action songs, a story
with five animal finger
characters & 100
printable worksheets
 Activities are combined
into a flexible program
for use by parents,
teachers & therapists
 For all children ages 4-6
years & for children ages
6-8 years with special
needs

9. ®
 Fantastic Fingers® Fine
Motor Program (2015
revised & expanded
edition) available as:
 A hardcopy book, CD
with 15 songs (incl. MP3
format) & 100
worksheets, & 2 hour
instructional DVD
 Available as an eBook
package with book &
worksheets in PDF, songs
in MP3 format & access
to over 20 online videos

10. ®
Music is an important
therapeutic medium -
increases motivation
& can be used
effectively to
increase strength &
coordination &
promote self-esteem*
* Lee, B. & Nantais, T. (1996).Use of Electronic Music as an Occupational Therapy Modality in Spinal
Cord Injury Rehabilitation: An Occupational Performance Model. American Journal of Occupational
Therapy, 50(5), 362-369.

11. ®
Fantastic Fingers®
improves:
1. Fine Motor Skills
2. Other
Developmental
Skills
3. Academic Skills –
early literacy &
numeracy

12.  Stimulates expressive & receptive language
 Enhances social interaction & cooperation
 Develops motor planning, rhythm & timing
 Fosters creativity
 Improves self-esteem

13.  Improves ability to attend, follow instructions &
concentrate on tasks
 The 40 new extension activities address:
early numeracy e.g. counting, shapes, patterns,
measurement, sequencing etc.;
& early literacy e.g. rhyming, identifying
syllables & sounds, alphabet knowledge,
working from left to right, pencil control etc.

14.  Program content &
structure is derived from
sound literature &
evidence based practice
 Complimented by extensive
clinical experience – trialed
in different settings
 Program caters for wide
range of needs – whole class
inclusive, small focus
groups, individuals
 Flexible program allows for
integration with school
curriculum - extension
activities for early
numeracy & literacy
 Training provided into the
‘why’ & ‘how’ for parents &
teachers through theory
sections in book &
instructional DVD or online
videos
 Illustrated written
instructions together with
real life demonstrations -
activities are done correctly
 Economical – uses everyday
materials & is available as
an eBook package too
 User friendly & enjoyed by
children & adults alike!

15. What a child becomes
depends entirely on how
he is educated. My prayer
is that all children on this
globe may become fine
human beings, happy
people of superior ability,
and I am devoting all my
energies to make this
come about, for I am
convinced that all
children are born with
this potential – Dr Suzuki