14 Great Apps for Developing Fine Motor Skills
Lets face it – children LOVE technology and pick up how to use tablets and phones more easily than many other toys and games. Many children with different abilities who would struggle to engage in other fine motor activities will happily use our phones or a tablet.
We’ve put together 14 of our favourite apps for developing our children’s fine motor skills. They won’t even know they are developing their skills!
Not sure if these activities suit your child? We have more resources available for all abilities.
14 Great Fine Motor Apps
For those with minimal fine motor skills:
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Sensory Light box or Sensory Soundbox (£2.99 – Apple and Android). Just a touch on the screen produces a wide variety of sounds and noises. As you move your fingers/hand the noises change. Very calming or stimulating, depending on the setting and wonderful feedback for cause and effect. Accessible for those with minimal or no fine motor skills.
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Fluidity HD (free – Apple devices only). Beautiful flowing colours controlled by any touch on the screen. Accessible for those with less fine motor skills. -
Baby’s Musical Hands (free – Apple and Android). Musical and colourful app – any touch will play a piano sound. Accessible for those with less fine motor skills.
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Finger Paint (free – Apple and Android). Opportunity to paint with different colours and sounds. Accessible for those with less fine motor skills.
For those with some fine motor skills:
5. Duck Duck Moose Nursery Rhymes (free – Apple and Android). These are a series of apps with entertaining and often surprising cause and effect options which can keep your younger child (and you) entertained for ages. We particularly like Itzy Bitsy HD, Old Mac HD and Trucks HD. Some fine motor control helps but this can also be played with little fine motor control.
6. Dr Panda series (Apple and Android, price varies from free to up to £3.99). Some lovely options with simple yet entertaining games for young children. We enjoy Dr Panda Restaurant, Hospital, Beauty Salon and Daycare. A pointing finger is needed for this and it is a lovely way to help improve pointing finger accuracy without being too demanding of perfection.
To work your finger control further try:
7. Busy Things (from free to £1.99 for game or bundle of games. Apple and Android). Zany, educational games of all levels. Shape Up is the easiest, building by dragging pieces.
8. Toca Boca (from free to £3.99 per game – Apple and Android). Fabulously fun and well animated games for varying degrees of fine motor control. We love: Robot Lab (fairly easy), Pet Doctor, Hair Salon (especially the version when you use your own face!), Toca Cars, Paint my Wings (easy).
9. Whizzy Kids and Whizzy Kids Two (Free – Apple and Android). Simple and fun finger control games, matching activities.
10. My First… Puzzles (£1.99). Puzzles with four pieces each, easy and accessible.
11. Tiny Hands – Sorting Puzzle and Sorting 2 and 3 (Free with in app purchases through to £4.99 for bundle. Apple and Android). Nice presentation. Good for pushing items into categories.
More advanced finger control games:
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Letter School– (subscription after ‘lite’ version – for Apple and Android). Fabulous interactive and engaging way to learn letter and number formation (printed, not cursive letters).
13. Dexteria Jr – (£3.99 – Apple only). Simple shape tracing, finger placement accuracy (fun squishing game!) and finger to thumb pinch.
14. Dexteria– (£5.99 – apple and android devices). Typing-related finger placement and sequencing, pinching and writing and tracing. Challenging!
Here are a selection of suitable videos
Explore Our Online Resources Hub
We have other resources for children with:
Thank you for visiting Gympanzees’ website. All information provided by Gympanzees is of general nature and for educational / entertainment purposes. It is up to you as the parent or family member to judge what is appropriate and safe for your child. No information provided by Gympanzees should replace any professional information and advice that you have been given and speak to your therapist or doctor if you are unsure of anything. Should you use any of the information provided by Gympanzees, you do so at your own risk and hold Gympanzees harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, injuries or damages resulting from any and all claims.
