25 Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities

25+ Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities

CLICK HERE to work on fine motor skills at home! Toddlers use fine motor skills for so many things in their daily lives. From zipping up their jackets to coloring with a marker, their little hands hold many important uses. This is why it can be very frustrating for them when they are unable to complete these tasks by themselves due to lack of hand strength and precision. Introducing simple fine motor activities to toddlers at a young age is a great way to ensure that they will have the skills to advance these important techniques. These toddler fine motor activities are easy to set up and require very little instruction so that toddlers can easily grasp these concepts. They are a great way to practice at home for future writing skills. Note: Some of these activities are more suitable for preschoolers with stronger fine motor skills. Pick and choose depending on where your children are at.

Easier Toddler Fine Motor Activities

Start with these activities before moving onto the second more challenging group. Water Play with Basters – Strengthen the hands while squeezing and releasing water. Supplies: Bin, water, basters or droppers Pom Pom Scoop and Transfer – Requires no prep and will keep your toddler busily engaged while building fine motor skills. (Happy Toddler Club) Pom poms, serving tray, bin or bowl, plastic toy kitchen utensils (optional) Pom Pom Tube Drop – Tape paper tubes to the wall and invite your toddler to drop pom poms down them. Assorted pom poms, painter’s tape, variety of paper towel or toilet paper rolls Cork Push – Invite your toddler to pick up corks and push them into slots. (Happy Toddler Playtime) Yogurt container, kitchen scissors, wine corks Scooping Rice – Use small scoops to transfer rice from one container to another. (Busy Toddler) Scoops, rice, containers, storage tub Tracing with Buttons – Use buttons to have preschoolers trace the pre-drawn pattern along the line. (Learning4Kids) Paper, markers, buttons Paint Chip Confetti Wall – Using pieces of paint chips and contact paper, toddlers will stick the little papers onto the wall creating a colorful design. (Happy Toddler Playtime) Paint chips, contact paper, masking tape Fine Motor Threading – Easy to set up, this activity involves toddlers threading straws through the holes in a hole-punched cardboard tube. (Laughing Kids Learn) Cardboard tubes, straws, hole punch, scissors Bead Drop Jar – For very young toddlers, practicing their pinching skills is a great start to strengthening fine motor skills. (Modern Preschool) Canning jar, beads, fine motor tools, hole punch, scissors Pom Pom Color Push – Practice color recognition as toddlers push pom poms into the correct color container. (Play, Teach, Repeat) Pom poms, no-spill paint cup, tray Bead Balloon for Hand Strength – Create a stress ball using water beads and a balloon for toddlers to strengthen the muscles in their hand. (Best Toys 4 Toddlers) Water beads, water, small bottle, balloon Peel Tape – For a quick activity in a pinch, have toddlers peel painters tape off of a surface. (Hands On As We Grow) Painter’s tape, table Pin the Tail on the Bunny – Velcro the cotton ball tails onto the matching color bunny and use pinching skills to pull them back off. (From ABCs to ACTs) Pom poms, velcro, free bunny printable (included) Rainbow Ball – Practice pinching and pulling motions by pulling rainbow scarves out from the center of the ball. (Still Playing School) O-Ball, rainbow scarves

More Challenging Toddler Fine Motor Activities

Once your toddlers can master the above activities, you move on to this category. Note that some of these activities might be more suitable for when your toddler transitions into a preschooler. Transferring Water – Use small pipettes to practice transferring water into small ice cube trays or bowls. Supplies: Droppers, ice cube trays or bowls, water Colored Waterfalls – For some process art, have toddlers use small pipettes to drip colored water onto vertical paper stands. Watercolors, droppers, vertical surface Rainbow Threading – Color some chunky pasta pieces to introduce threading activities to toddlers using thick shoelaces with plastic ends. Tubular pasta, shoelaces, plastic needle Fine Motor Skills with Crazy Straws – Using crazy straws and fabric circles, have toddlers thread the hole in the center of the circles down the crazy straw. (Powerful Mothering) Felt, straws DIY Zipper Board – This is a great fine motor strengthening activity for toddlers who are struggling to zip up their clothing without help. (Laughing Kids Learn) Cardboard, zippers, hot glue gun, scissors Cap Twist-Off Board – To strengthen hand muscles, create a board of twist-off applesauce lids for toddlers to practice. (Happy Toddler Playtime) Caps, cardboard, hot glue gun, kitchen shears Cutting Busy Box – Create slips of paper with designs for toddlers to practice their cutting skills. (A Crafty Living) Scraps of paper, box, scissors Shapes Dot Painting – Free printable do-a-dot sheets for your toddlers to practice their stamping. (The Resourceful Mama) Free dot painting printable (included), dot markers or stickers Cutting Box – For a quiet time activity, create a box of items to be cut for toddlers to practice scissor skills. (Sara J Creations) Paper scraps, box, scissors, free printable sheet (included, but probably more suitable once scissor skills are strong) Clothespin Grabbing – Use clothespins to pinch and grab at small pieces of pipe cleaners or other items and transfer them into a cup. (Love, Laughter and Learning in Prep) Clothespins, pieces of pipe cleaner Pre-Writing Squishy Bags – Practice writing skills by drawing designs in these mess-free squishy bags. (Learning4Kids) Squishy bag, free shapes printable (included) Spring Flower Tray – Make a beautiful flower arrangement by poking fake flower stems through the holes in an upside-down colander. (No Time for Flash Cards) Colander, fake flowers, floral foam