Play (and Write) with Your Food!
Looking for something different to do to help your child practice fine-motor skills when writing? Â Does your child enjoy playing with food? Â
Why not combine the two!?
Something fun I used to do when I taught public elementary students and managed a classroom was have them write with their fingertip in shaving cream on their desks, which had three purposes...1. practice spelling words  2. clean the desktops  3. freshen the smell of the room
With a younger, smaller group or with a kindergartner at home, give these ideas a try to have them practice their 3-finger pincer grip while holding a 'writing tool'.
If the following messes do not appeal to you, place the dips/whips/sauces/creams into a plastic ziplock bag and your child can easily trace through the bag. When finished, the contents can still be eaten with the tools. :)
1. Use raw skinny carrots, asparagus, or sugar snap pea pods to write in hummus or vege dip on a clean placemat or baking tray, which they can later clean by eating. Â Use the flatter sides of the veges to smooth out the surface once it's been written on.
2. Find pretzel sticks or rods, depending on your child's gripping abilities, and have him or her write in pudding or whipped cream. Â If smoothing out the food on the work surface is a challenge, use a spreading tool or spoon to flatten.
3. Locate skinny, crunchy breadsticks and use your child's favorite marinara sauce to write words or messages.
4. For an extra challenge and more advanced grippers, try wooden skewers with a few grapes or small chunks of fruit on them for a colorful, edible fruit kabob 'pencil'. Your child can write in whipped marshmallow dip or cream of his or her choosing.
Most importantly, allow your child to have fun with this! Ask him or her to write rhyming words, names, colors, numbers...anything he or she is learning to spell in school.