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Supporting a Child with Motor Skill Difficulties

At Home

• Encourage physical activities the child enjoys. Focus on fun, not competition. 

• Introduce new sports or playgrounds one-on-one before joining a group. 

• Support the child in activities they enjoy and do well in (e.g. drama, music, choir). 

• Help them practice planning and sequencing tasks like laying the table, packing a school bag, or making lunch. Use picture strips or ask guiding questions like “What do you need to do first?” 

• Choose school clothes that are easy to put on and take off (e.g. loose-fitting items, elastic waistbands, hook-and-loop fastenings [Velcro]).

Dressing Skills – Using the MATCH Strategy

You can use this method to support your child with other motor skill challenges too. 

Modify the Task

• Choose clothes with fewer fastenings to reduce frustration. 

• Use larger buttons and buttonholes, hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro), large zip tabs, and loose-fitting clothes with wide neck and armholes. 

• For hooded coats or cardigans, teach the child to put the hood on first. This helps the sleeves hang in a way that makes them easier to find. 

• Add visual cues. For example: 

• Use a coloured mark to show the back of clothing. 

• Place arrows inside shoes—when side by side, the arrows should point toward each other. 

Alter Your Expectations

• Give plenty of time to practice. Try new skills on weekends instead of busy school mornings. 

• Lay out clothes in the correct order and direction to help the child get started.

At School

Communication

• Keep communication open between home and school. This helps ensure the child’s needs are understood and supported in both places. 

In the Classroom

• Check that chair and table heights are correct. Feet should rest flat on the floor, and the table should be at elbow height so forearms rest comfortably. 

• Allow posture breaks. Let the child lean against a wall or furniture during carpet time. 

• Provide helpful tools: 

• Rulers with handles 

• Writing slopes to improve paper position and wrist posture 

• A variety of pencils and pens (e.g. triangular, thick barrels, non-slip grips) 

• Give extra time for fine motor tasks like handwriting. 

• Use “fill in the blank” worksheets when handwriting isn’t the focus. 

• Introduce laptops or tablets early to build keyboard skills. These can help when written work increases or neat presentation is needed. 

• Match paper to the child’s handwriting needs: 

• Wide lines for large writing 

• Graph paper for spacing and number alignment 

• Offer different ways to show learning: 

• Oral presentations 

• Voice recordings 

• Typed stories 

• Drawings or photos 

• Focus on the lesson’s goal: 

• If creativity is the goal, accept messy presentation. 

• If layout is the goal (e.g. in maths), allow extra time or accept that the problem may not be solved. 

• Make sure special access arrangements are in place for tests that require lots of writing. 

In Physical Education

• Break activities into small, manageable steps. Add new steps gradually. 

• Choose tasks where the child can succeed at least half the time. 

• Focus on participation, not competition. Reward effort, not skill. 

• Help children aim to improve their personal best rather than compete with others. 

• Modify equipment. For example, use larger balls to help with catching and throwing. 

• Use hand-over-hand guidance to help the child feel the movement. 

• Explain rules when the child is not focused on movement. This helps them plan better. 

• Demonstrate clearly and highlight key parts of the movement. For example, “Keep your feet wide to help balance.” 

  Emotional and Behavioural Challenges

  Children may: 

  • Avoid physical activities that feel hard or tiring 

  • Feel frustrated, anxious, or have low self-esteem due to repeated struggles 

  • Stay away from playground games or prefer playing with younger children 

  • Resist changes in routine or environment, especially if tasks need planning and sequencing 

  Other Common Challenges

  Children may: 

  • Struggle to balance speed and accuracy (e.g. neat handwriting may be very slow) 

  • Find it hard to lay out work neatly on a page (e.g. maths or spelling tasks) 

  • Have difficulty with self-organisation and keeping track of belongings 

Teaching Strategies

• Use a consistent step-by-step method to teach dressing. 

• Provide a pictorial sequence to follow. 

• Try backward chaining: teach the last step first. Once the child masters it, teach the step before. Keep adding earlier steps until they can do the whole task. This helps them feel successful each time. 

• Teach the idea of a “helper hand” and a “doer hand.” For example, when zipping a coat, the helper hand holds the bottom while the doer hand pulls the zip. 

• Demonstrate each step clearly and use verbal cues like “labels at the back.” 

Change the Environment

• Let the child sit on the floor with their back against a wall or use a low chair for stability. 

• Make sure there’s enough space to move comfortably. 

Help by Understanding

• Work with the child to find strategies that suit them. 

• Encourage an “I can do it” attitude by celebrating effort and progress toward independence.