Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers and Early Elementary Students
Activities to promote pencil grasp in small children
use pincer tools to pick up small items including pom poms, small erasers, mini marshmallows, cheerios or pony beads
use eye droppers with colored water to decorate coffee filters. Turn your coffee filters into butterflies
tear and crumple paper to create a picture (flowers on a tree or bumble bees on a flower)
use pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough
roll play dough into little balls, squish the balls with pincer fingers
place pennies into a slotted container
"squirreling" ...pick up as many pom poms with pincer fingers one at a time with one hand, squirreling them away into the palm of the hand
place the above pom poms one at a time into a container with one hand
make a pasta necklace
practice buttoning/ snaps and zippers during dress up
practice tying skills on a spare shoe or a craft project
make pony bead necklaces
Activities to strengthen fingers and hands
Mr. Potato Head
connecting miniature pop beads
use putty/ silly putty
play dough activities. Roll play dough into a snake, pinch the snake
cut play dough into small pieces
legos
popping bubble wrap
tearing construction paper
squeezing sponges
water toys you squeeze in the bath or sink
use clothes pins. squeeze clothes pins to place on a container, to connect two socks or mittens or to connect matching pictures
use hole punchers (mini hole pinch for thumb, big hole punch for fist)
use a turkey baster
place rubber bands onto a dowel or geoboard
create sensory balloon stress balls to squeeze
Adults cut a tennis ball to create a munchy ball mouth (picture above), child squeezes tennis ball to open mouth, feed the ball.
Toys that promote fine motor skills
Legos
Mr. Potato head
Perfection
peg board
geoboards
Knex
Lincoln logs
Tinker Toys
Jacks
spinning tops
wind up toys
stacking and building with blocks
lacing cards
stringing beads
wikki stix
Operation
Thumbs Up game
cup stacking
Play Doh