I can't help with that program, sorry. I did take a quick look at it on Amazon and it seems like worksheets? And you need a teacher's manual to get the instructions for the worksheets. (I should disclose that I'm personally not a fan of worksheets for little kids.)

My now-eleven-year-old had fine motor skill delays. His occupational therapists at that age did not really work a ton on hand writing and didn't use worksheets much at all. They worked on other things that built hand strength and encouraged bilateral use of his hands and so on. Coloring, scissors and other art type activities, but not from worksheets, per se. And lots of building with blocks. And digging in sand. And so on.

(For what it's worth, my ds' cursive is now prettier than mine and while he will never be a virtuoso at the piano, he can tie his shoes and zip his jackets and all that stuff.)

I would suggest that consulting an occupational therapist might be worthwhile.

Two of my children had fine motor coordination problems, one in particular had a great difficulties even holding a pencil. We played with tiny Legos for hours at a time and that was actually very helpful. We also bought a special kind of sleeve for the pencil that helped our DS2. I think it is worth noting that our two children who had fine motor problems had truly outstanding gross motor coordination. I don't know what that means, if anything !

My son had fine motor skill issues which we didn't discover until third grade b/c his handwriting was so bad. We took him to an OT and while she did a variety if things to improve his fine motor skills, she did focus part of her time with him on improving his handwriting and proper letter formation. I have not heard of that program but the few times I saw him during his session, the handwriting portion did involve worksheets. I would definitely consult an OT. Our insurance covered our son's weekly sessions (he was in private school). As a preschooler, had we known at that time, he could have gotten OT at a local public school.

On a different note, one fun thing I remember him doing was placing a piece so spaghetti in a mound of play dough, sticking straight up. Then picking up Cheerios and putting them onto the spaghetti was one game for helping with fine motor skills.

Handwriting without tears is a curriculum that many preschools use to teach children to write their letters and numbers. Is your grandchild in preschool? What curriculum are they using to introduce them to letters? If you have no intentions for your grandchild to go to preschool in the fall, then I would purchase the curriculum. Otherwise, there are many fun ways to improve the strength and coordination of hand and finger muscles, which address fine motor skills: Play dough, macaroni necklaces, Legos, blocks, board games involving small pieces, "Perfection" game for preschoolers is a great game for motor skill development as well as counting, shape recognition, and lengthening that attention span. Of course, coloring - especially with new fun markers and cutting super simple shapes and lines out of cardstock and paper. Any craft or cooking activity where they get to use their hands. Just keep her busy and away from the tv.
Also, the Dollar Tree would have some inexpensive workbooks that may be fun.

We were told that most children progress at different rates and will be slower in some things while stronger in others, but that they tend to catch up quickly in early elementary. I am assuming yor GD is in that range. If so, I don't know that I would be buying a progrm with a lot of worksheets for a 4 yr old.

I like the suggestions to use activities that are more like play with purpose. I would try a variety of things and watch to learn what the child is doing well and what is more challenging -- and make sure they don't get too much of the more challenging activities and that they don't give up. You can get crayons, markers, stickers, sidewalk chalk, beads or pasta to string (or make it popcorn and put it out for the birds), make a PB&J or a peanut butter covered pinecone bird feeder, frost some cupcakes or cookiees, as well as legos adn other building toys. The legos can get expensve, but I'm sure you can get a lot of art and craft suplies and legos for less than the program -- and you may meet less resistancw in using them than with the worksheets.

We were stretching all our dollars whent he boys were small. I also discovered hat I hate the smell of playdough. You can make your own. Our sons' preschool made their own using a recipe that used a packed of unsweetened drink mix (Kool-aid) for color and scent. We copied them -- fruit scented play clay might be more fun to play with for your GD. I'm sure it is on the internet now.

Great replies all.

First to let you know a little more. Our GD was born on the last day of the cut off day for school admittance. The school wanted her to start KG this coming sept. Even though my daughter and son in law knew she was not ready. I think she is a bright girl , but a little immature and since she makes the cut off only by hours we all decided to hold her back. The school was not happy and we had to see a child phycologist to prove it.

Now the tests are in and she scored very well on most of the tests but very badly on the fine motor skills so the phycologist suggested this program instead of seeing an OT which would be quite expensive.

She will be going to pre k next sept now.

She plays with Legos and I think does quite well.

We are willing to do whatever is best but want to have as much info as possible before preceding.

Csl.... I hear you about the worksheets. Maybe you are right and we should just concentrate on coloring and drawing more.

KSWL....thank you, that is exactly my GD problem, she has trouble holding a pencil and using it properly. Yet, she does so well in other areas.

4kids4us....thank you, I am going to try your spaghetti and cherrio game.

JLJ48.....she now will be going to pre-k in the fall after our fighting for this, but it am not sure what they use to teach writing letters. We will have to find out. But I think it would be good to gave a head start.

LASCATX.....thank you for all your good suggestions.

I will share your thoughts with my daughter and see what she wants to do.

I would consider just an evaluation with an OT. At least inquire as to the cost. Some kids have trouble with fine motor skills because they lack core strength to support the upper body, some because they lack grip strength, some because they have difficulty with bilateral activities, etc, etc. An OT evaluation would hopefully pick up on what the more specific weakness are and the OT could make age appropriate suggestions targeted at those areas.

In the US you could almost certainly get this evaluation for free through the school district by requesting it in writing. I don't know if she is in the US though?

My older DS had terrible handwriting. We did Handwriting Without Tears with a handwriting coach during second grade. It worked wonders for him. If I had it to do over again, I would begin HWOT in late K or first, and I would just do it myself. There was a six month waiting list for the coach, but there was nothing special about what she did. The chalkboard/slate was especially helpful, so I would definitely use that in addition to the worksheets.

I agree that your best bet for now would be to focus on play to build hand strength and fine motor skills, and to seek an evaluation through a good OT.

Cyn427, I'm glad to hear you say all that. My boys are both summer birthdays and we were pressed to hold them back, especially by one school that said they wouldn't take him if we didn't. We didn't. It would have been disasterous for him, but some kids need that time. Parents know their kids best and if they pay attention can guide educators to supporting them in making the best decisions for the best reasons.

Lyban, I would be curous why the school was pushing so to have her go forward. Our schools have a couple of opportunities for kids to skip ahead a grade. If your GD catches up and seems ready, perhaps that will be an option -- when she's ready for it. I'd be concerned that pushing a 4 yr old would be a good way to frustrate them and create long term problems. Glad you held out for what you felt was best.

Sorry, i haven't read all of the threads. But I had a neighbor where we used to live, and her child needed OT in preK, and it was provided by the school. The public schools encouraged early screening and intervention. This was in NJ, I am pretty sure they do the same in CT, and maybe it is part of No Child Left Behind? I would surely investigate it.

Personally, the last thing I would do is give a 4yr old a worksheet. There a myriad of activities that she would be naturally inclined to that would serve the same function. Even if you can't get an OT involved, Id bet you could even just google a better solution.

Lyban, our DD did not write her name until she was almost 7---and I mean a few weeks shy of seven. We had teachers and educational psychologists buzzing around us in worried formation, but I politely refused any help because I knew she simply was. Not. Ready. And she was an older kid--- her birthday is November 2 so she was almost a year older than some of the kids in her class. When she finally started to write she was very slow and precise, and by the end of first grade (age 7 and a half) our little perfectionist had very lovely handwriting. Had we pushed her to write before she felt capable physically (handily?) she would have been a basket case. I believe in working with kids personalities, not against them. If by the end of first grade she was still not writing, we would have taken steps, possibly with an occupational therapist.

Btw, that daughter who could not, and did not write her name until she was almost seven was a Duke TIP program honoree in seventh grade, having scores on college entrance exams (SATs) higher than average of college bound high school juniors and seniors. Her not being able to write was not a sign of anything except not being ready to write,

The pre-school program is not all work-sheets. There are some fun activities including making letters with play-dough, a sing-along CD with fun life skill songs, and a chalkboard activity. My youngest is 8 now so I do not remember all of the things available, but there is a lot of fun stuff in it. They also have great crayons that you cannot use unless you grip them right. I would look into the pre-school level version, but definitely not the K or higher version. Some other activities that are good for that age group is to put shaving cream or pudding mix into a pan and have them do the letters with their fingers in that. Pudding mix is more fun for one kid because they often lick their fingers but they get to feel the resistance when making the letters. My autistic son did many of the activities and his fine motor skills stunk (but like kswl's children, his gross motor function was fantastic). His handwriting is rather poor but at age 11, his typing speed is amazing. He did use the HWOT program for preschool and I did find it to be beneficial.

In the US, the statute that provides for services for ages three and up is IDEA. It is the law that sets up our special education system. You request an evaluation in writing and the school district has to respond within a set time period. If you include outside testing results that show a delay with your request, the school system will almost certainly go forward with an evaluation. They may or may not offer services after that evaluation. Everything the school system does in this regard is free.

Go to Pinterest and type in 'kids' fine motor skills' and a bunch of fun activities will come up.

I was really surprised to learn when I was talking to friends of mine who have young grandchildren in elementary school now, that their schools are no longer teaching cursive writing or telling time. One friend's daughter is in 4th grade in a good school. She can print but not write her name in cursive,. Seems the schools feel since everything is done on computer or is digital these days, the kids won't need it. I think that's terrible. If you can't read cursive writing, you won't be able to read old letters or historical documents in their original form. What would John Hancock think about this?

One of the most interesting things my son's K teacher told me was she would rather a student with no knowledge of the alphabet and writing than a student that had been taught to hold a pencil wrong, and to dislike writing.

She recommended 'broad strokes' to get the hand and the fingers ready for school. Finger painting, chubby crayons, fat pencils; items designed for little hands. Kneading dough, stringing beads, using a rolling pin, lacing cards are great. I recommend visiting a teacher supply store, Lakeshore Learning is a great chain if there is one in your vicinity take a road trip. You will find gifts galore for your GD and she will love everything.

My kids particularly loved toys with magnets, and water! We built a sand table for indoors, and a water table for outdoors. love toys like this

My DS had issues with fine motor skills as well. When he was in kindergarten I could always tell his artwork without looking for his name. The school wanted to push him through to first grade and I put my foot down. After testing and a lot of angst he was found to also have a slight learning disability. I suspected that possibility all along and had to fight like the devil to get the ball rolling. By second grade he was up to snuff and no longer needed special help.

This thread brought back some forgotten memories of my lefty DD who was also told she had some fine motor skill issues at about that age (she is now 44). Back then one 'expert' wanted her to try to switch and write with her right hand. I said absolutely not, as we had several 'lefties' in the family, she picked up a spoon as a baby with her left hand, and I am somewhat ambidextrous myself and left-eye/brain dominant. Her fine motor skills straightened out just fine by first grade. She also had outstanding gross motor skills and went on to excel in athletics as well and is excellent at target shooting.

Even in early elementary school she once received some less than good marks (around 5th grade iirc) for handwriting, and she told me it was because of the notebooks they were forced to use. She had to use a spiral notebook where her left hand rested on the spiral. I was furious, but it wasn't that bad, so we let it go. Her handwriting is beautiful, and she is quite creative and artistic.

I think you have received some excellent advice about activities other than workbooks to help develop her hand strength and coordination. I wouldn't be too worried just yet. Just give her the tools to work & play with and watch her progress.

WoW! So many great answers, I can always count on other GW,s .

Cyn427: so glad that you as a special educational teacher chimed in. I will take heart in your advice and no worksheets.

CRL... We are in Canada so different ways of doing things I guess. But your advice about having one consultation with a OT might be a good start.

RIOSAMBAS...I agree maybe waiting till Kindergarten

MTNRR: I hear you , no worksheets

KSWL:..Thanks for sharing that info on your daughter,hearing of her success now as a young adult is encouraging. I feel that my GD is a bright girl that walks to the beat of her own drums. Because she in my opinion is above her age in many levels but behind in others.

TISH: Glad you like HWT, but I hear you about only doing Pre school work

Localeater and Chickadee: thanks for the comments and I will look on Printerest

HollyKay: artwork is another problem for her, They say that her artwork is immature . I find this baffling because I am 70 years old and I think my artwork is probably immature.Funny thought because I would categorize my GD as having the most vivid imagination of anybody out there. She can imagine a whole world of characters and play.

Outsideplaying: my GD is right handed but my daughter (her mother) is left handed .

I am an OT who works in the schools with this age range. Our district uses HWT and it was a program that our department encouraged the district to adapt. There are a lot of reasons a child could have delays with being able to complete pre-writing/writing tasks, so it is always hard to provide ideas without knowing the underlying issues. Another nice option if they have an Ipad is an app called 'Letter School'. It can be set to a variety of fonts, HWT being one of them. It is a nice graded program that can be used to reinforce how letters are formed, and my students love the program. You can also use it with a small stylus, that would help facilitate a better grasp pattern if that is a concern. Another reference is for a website called MamaOT. I think she does a really nice job with sharing information and ideas. I have a niece with a new baby and she uses it as a reference for developmental skills/activities. I also want to mention that children can have wonderful imaginations, but have difficulty with getting pictures on paper. Sometimes working side-by-side and demonstrating how to make simple pictures step-by-step can be helpful, so they can begin to see how simple shapes can go together to make a picture of something (e.g. house, person). I could also get on my pedestal and harp on about how we are requiring children to 'write' before they are developmentally ready....that is for another platform I'm sure. But being active on the playground with climbing/swinging and working with a variety of developmentally appropriate materials (e.g. play-doh can be pinched, flattened, have pennies hidden in it to find, rolled in a snake and cut with a scissors....manipulatives like stringing beads, putting together Mr. Potato Head, using tongs to pick things up) can help develop the hand muscles and underlying skills needed to writing. If there is an appropriate tub wall, spray shaving cream on the wall during bath time and have her use her fingers to make shapes, simple pictures. That was one of my sons favorite activities back in the day!

Great advice! I was able to convince my pediatrician to ask for an OT evaluation when my son was in third grade. He thought I was nuts (he told me later), but authorized the visits. DS had two appointments a week all that Summer (with a 70 dollar copay), and the results were remarkable. I only wish I had done something sooner.

Everyone has great suggestions, I'm sure you can get a list together from the suggestions here and from other web sources and do him a lot of good. I wish him the best!

Lyban, I have a friend who used it for for her son, she highly recommends it. I also have an OT friend who has used it with clients with success. I've only heard good things.

jlsch:....Glad to hear that you like HWT and that you are also an OT. That makes me feel better and your other advise sounds good. My daughter now tells me that if she uses the HWT it would only be the PRE K version and that she does not have to use any worksheets in the early versions.
I will also look into that Ipad app.

BethPen: thank you , an OT referral is on our list for sure.

Sochi: Another positive for HWT, thanks for taking the time to tell me about your friend.

***I definitely did not mean to imply that no kids need early intervention with motor coordination issues--- there are obviously a host of underlying reasons for it, as jisch and others noted, all calling for different methods and levels of help.