{"id":1540,"date":"2026-04-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:02:06","slug":"why-fine-motor-skills-still-matter-in-april-not-just-september","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/?p=1540","title":{"rendered":"Why Fine Motor Skills Still Matter in April (Not Just September)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1540\" class=\"elementor elementor-1540\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c088453 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c088453\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8538f59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8538f59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"275\" data-end=\"338\">When I first started teaching Kindergarten, I made a mistake.<\/p><p data-start=\"340\" data-end=\"471\">I thought fine motor practice was something we really needed to focus on at the beginning of the year\u2026 and then we could move on.<\/p><p data-start=\"473\" data-end=\"537\">So as the year went on, I started to skip those opportunities.<\/p><p data-start=\"539\" data-end=\"573\">And I noticed it pretty quickly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f1e442 e-grid e-con-full e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7f1e442\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4137e5c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4137e5c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1543\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81fbfda elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"81fbfda\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1546\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2567e90 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2567e90\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d75dc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3d75dc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What I Started to See<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d0f19b9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d0f19b9\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9640105 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9640105\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"610\" data-end=\"654\">Students were struggling with things like:<\/p><ul data-start=\"655\" data-end=\"754\"><li data-section-id=\"igdmcc\" data-start=\"655\" data-end=\"693\">Writing for longer periods of time<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1fyslu8\" data-start=\"694\" data-end=\"719\">Coloring with control<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1vku923\" data-start=\"720\" data-end=\"754\">Staying focused on table tasks<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"756\" data-end=\"790\">Their stamina just wasn\u2019t there.<\/p><p data-start=\"792\" data-end=\"857\">And honestly, I started to see more behaviours creeping in too.<\/p><p data-start=\"859\" data-end=\"903\">More frustration.<br data-start=\"876\" data-end=\"879\" \/>More off-task moments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55fed47 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"55fed47\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed65098 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ed65098\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Shift<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b410fa2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b410fa2\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-998912c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"998912c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"929\" data-end=\"1026\">Once I brought fine motor activities back into our daily routine, things started to change.<\/p><p data-start=\"1028\" data-end=\"1044\">Students were:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1045\" data-end=\"1129\"><li data-section-id=\"1pz3ifk\" data-start=\"1045\" data-end=\"1061\">More focused<\/li><li data-section-id=\"tx7zq8\" data-start=\"1062\" data-end=\"1080\">More regulated<\/li><li data-section-id=\"kz37y5\" data-start=\"1081\" data-end=\"1129\">More willing to engage in tasks like writing<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1131\" data-end=\"1211\">It was a good reminder that fine motor skills aren\u2019t just a \u201cSeptember thing.\u201d<\/p><p data-start=\"1213\" data-end=\"1265\">They\u2019re something students need all year long.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c7d786 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9c7d786\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ba4928 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3ba4928\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Why It Still Matters in Spring<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb1549f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fb1549f\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6a745a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d6a745a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"1312\" data-end=\"1352\">By April, expectations have increased.<\/p><p data-start=\"1354\" data-end=\"1369\">Students are:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1370\" data-end=\"1448\"><li data-section-id=\"1xhr7qd\" data-start=\"1370\" data-end=\"1386\">Writing more<\/li><li data-section-id=\"trmdlb\" data-start=\"1387\" data-end=\"1405\">Sitting longer<\/li><li data-section-id=\"oxv1d7\" data-start=\"1406\" data-end=\"1448\">Being asked to work more independently<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1450\" data-end=\"1536\">But if their fine motor strength and stamina haven\u2019t kept up, those tasks feel hard.<\/p><p data-start=\"1538\" data-end=\"1592\">And when things feel hard, that\u2019s when we often see:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1593\" data-end=\"1647\"><li data-section-id=\"nujr6c\" data-start=\"1593\" data-end=\"1606\">Avoidance<\/li><li data-section-id=\"mpjlnl\" data-start=\"1607\" data-end=\"1622\">Frustration<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1n4qow1\" data-start=\"1623\" data-end=\"1647\">Behaviour challenges<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b53cc5a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b53cc5a\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b63b22f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b63b22f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Simple Ways to Build Fine Motor (Without Adding More Work)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57c712e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"57c712e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da0cc40 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"da0cc40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"1722\" data-end=\"1779\">The good news is \u2014 this doesn\u2019t need to be complicated.<\/p><p data-start=\"1781\" data-end=\"1844\">Some of the best fine motor activities are also the simplest:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1846\" data-end=\"1948\"><li data-section-id=\"1pn93z1\" data-start=\"1846\" data-end=\"1859\">Playdough<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1d614tz\" data-start=\"1860\" data-end=\"1883\">Cutting and tearing<\/li><li data-section-id=\"14kahnu\" data-start=\"1884\" data-end=\"1896\">Stickers<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1lwz6e3\" data-start=\"1897\" data-end=\"1922\">Stacking and building<\/li><li data-section-id=\"r7elpg\" data-start=\"1923\" data-end=\"1948\">Pompoms with tweezers<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1950\" data-end=\"2046\">These are easy to set up, easy to repeat, and can be used again and again throughout the year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8dcfd33 e-grid e-con-full e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8dcfd33\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9ac251 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a9ac251\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1542\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-94e52aa elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"94e52aa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1545\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17305e2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"17305e2\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3b40af elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b3b40af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Keep It Part of Your Routine<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c25884 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1c25884\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c93c4da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c93c4da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"2090\" data-end=\"2142\">Fine motor doesn\u2019t need to be a separate \u201clesson.\u201d<\/p><p data-start=\"2144\" data-end=\"2156\">It can be:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2157\" data-end=\"2227\"><li data-section-id=\"6vueiq\" data-start=\"2157\" data-end=\"2169\">A centre<\/li><li data-section-id=\"5s97oy\" data-start=\"2170\" data-end=\"2187\">A morning bin<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1r32drb\" data-start=\"2188\" data-end=\"2227\">A quiet activity during transitions<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2229\" data-end=\"2295\">Small, consistent opportunities make a big difference over time.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36ea20d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36ea20d\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61182b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"61182b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">A Simple Reminder<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d2b9f5 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"6d2b9f5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6569610 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6569610\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"2329\" data-end=\"2451\">If things are feeling a bit harder right now, more behaviours, less focus, lower stamina, it might not be the content.<\/p><p data-start=\"2453\" data-end=\"2549\">It might just be that students need more opportunities to build those foundational skills.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42f314e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"42f314e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-df53637 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"df53637\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Looking for Easy Options?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ada4cf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2ada4cf\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-efc9b09 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"efc9b09\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"2591\" data-end=\"2762\">If you\u2019re looking for simple, hands-on activities to support fine motor development, you can find a variety of options in my <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">La Petite Classe<\/span><\/span> store.<\/p><p data-start=\"2764\" data-end=\"2841\">They\u2019re designed to be low-prep, repeatable, and easy to fit into your day.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e38f69 e-grid e-con-full e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6e38f69\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d5a711 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3d5a711\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1547\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6-3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-564e8d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"564e8d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1545\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4-2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05e9bea e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"05e9bea\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4cd833 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a4cd833\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Takeaway<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c5244a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9c5244a\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb17683 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cb17683\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"2870\" data-end=\"2948\">Fine motor skills don\u2019t stop mattering after the first few months of school.<\/p><p data-start=\"2950\" data-end=\"3008\">In many ways, they matter even more as the year goes on.<\/p><p data-start=\"3010\" data-end=\"3121\">Sometimes the biggest difference comes from going back to the basics and keeping them part of your routine.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I first started teaching Kindergarten, I made a mistake. I thought fine motor practice was something we really needed to focus on at the beginning of the year\u2026 and then we could move on. So as the year went on, I started to skip those opportunities. And I noticed it pretty quickly. What I Started to See Students were struggling with things like: Writing for longer periods of time Coloring with control Staying focused on table tasks Their stamina just wasn\u2019t there. And honestly, I started to see more behaviours creeping in too. More frustration.More off-task moments. The Shift Once I brought fine motor activities back into our daily routine, things started to change. Students were: More focused More regulated More willing to engage in tasks like writing It was a good reminder that fine motor skills aren\u2019t just a \u201cSeptember thing.\u201d They\u2019re something students need all year long.&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/?p=1540\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Why Fine Motor Skills Still Matter in April (Not Just September)<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Fine Motor Skills Still Matter in April (Not Just September) - La Petite Classe de Mme. Gibbons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/?p=1540\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Fine Motor Skills Still Matter in April (Not Just September) - La Petite Classe de Mme. Gibbons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I first started teaching Kindergarten, I made a mistake. I thought fine motor practice was something we really needed to focus on at the beginning of the year\u2026 and then we could move on. So as the year went on, I started to skip those opportunities. And I noticed it pretty quickly. What I Started to See Students were struggling with things like: Writing for longer periods of time Coloring with control Staying focused on table tasks Their stamina just wasn\u2019t there. And honestly, I started to see more behaviours creeping in too. More frustration.More off-task moments. The Shift Once I brought fine motor activities back into our daily routine, things started to change. Students were: More focused More regulated More willing to engage in tasks like writing It was a good reminder that fine motor skills aren\u2019t just a \u201cSeptember thing.\u201d They\u2019re something students need all year long.&#8230;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lapetiteclassedemmeg.com\/?p=1540\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"La Petite Classe de Mme. 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I thought fine motor practice was something we really needed to focus on at the beginning of the year\u2026 and then we could move on. So as the year went on, I started to skip those opportunities. And I noticed it pretty quickly. 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