Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of skills. They’re creative, open-ended, appropriate and varied with ideas for practising motor skills through art, sensory play and simple manipulative games, and there are so many to choose from!
One of the most important ways we can help our children while playing with them at home or in a childcare/ classroom setting is through setting up simple activities that help to develop fine motor skills. Young children need to be able to hold and use scissors and pencils appropriately before using them in a classroom context. We cannot expect them to be able to write if they haven’t yet developed the strength needed in their hands and fingers.
There are plenty of easy ways to strengthen these muscles, practise co-ordination and develop hand:eye co-ordination using simple, everyday materials and a bit of creative fun! Here are 40 that we have done over the past few years with babies to 5 year olds. There are a million variations you could make from each of these to cater for your own child’s particular interests and learning dispositions. Use these as a springboard and pin it for future reference too!
[Herbal play dough with natural materials to explore]
My personal favourite tool for developing all fine motor skills is the humble ball of homemade play dough. It can be used in SO many ways by adding other combinations of materials to it, and automatically strengthens little hands as they roll, squeeze, twist and build with it. Here is a whole post about the benefits of playing with play dough and a handy guide to starting out with building your own play dough tool kit. Of course, baking with real dough is another wonderful way to play and learn simultaneously!
The many benefits of play dough [and a tool kit]
Other activities we have loved have included exploring sensory play materials, transporting small parts, threading beads, hands-on art projects, cutting and sticking, tearing and scrunching papers, opening and closing fastenings and countless others. Here is a selection of some of those favourites, all of which can be adapted for different age groups and abilities.
Threading with beads onto pipe cleaners
Threading, posting and slotting toys for babies and toddlers
Poking straws into holes
Pasta necklaces
Monster play dough
Weaving around cardboard
Fairy sparkle playdough
Pipe cleaners and colanders
Beads on spaghetti
Hair rollers sticky construction
First sewing basket
Edible fingerpainting
Making marks in fairy dust
Decorating play dough eggs
Mark making and scooping in lavender sensory salt
Building 3D models
Sorting and pattern making with shells
Patterning with lego
Lid posting game
Snipping and doodling sticky stained glass windows
Whisking up coloured sensory soap
Salt dough alphabet modelling
Pebble sorting
Stacking cups
Play dough cupcakes
Foam and water window art
Cakie: 5.0
Pop: 3.5
Bean: 18 mos