Fine Motor Activities

Make dots on a piece of paper. Roll a die and have student use a hole punch to punch out that many holes until they get to the finish line. You could also write letters on the edge of an index card and have the kids find the letters that you tell them.

Put water in several cups or an ice cube tray and make different colors with food coloring. Have kids use the eye droppers to mix new colors.

Draw a maze and have kids cut along the lines. Index cards are great because they are stiffer than regular paper. Remember, thumbs up with their scissor hand and helper hand! Bold, thick lines are easier to cut also. Holding the paper vertical helps too!

Have kids trace their name with dots using paint and a Q-tip. Be sure to have them hold the Q-tip with their fingertips and keep their elbow down when working.

Sort objects by color using a cupcake pan using a pincer grasp or tweezers.

Put beads on vertical pipe cleaners or straws. Sort by color or make a pattern.

Build with LEGO bricks. To increase the challenge build something simple (even 3-5 blocks stacked) and have your child copy what you made.

Stickers are a great way to practice a pincer grasp and bilateral skills.

Use tweezers to sort colored pom poms or to put cotton balls into ice trays

Draw paths and use a pincer grasp to put on small objects like Cheerios, buttons, or beads

Hide small objects in playdough and have kids find them. Theraputty is definitely a favorite activity in OT and a great warm up before writing!

Create a yarn maze and have kids remove objects from the bottom with a clothespin

Push pipe cleaners through holes in a kitchen colander

Glue noodles to a piece of cardboard and push a shoelace through the holes

Push straws or pipe cleaners through holes in a toilet paper roll

Use a pincer grasp to put straws onto spaghetti noodles or toothpicks. May need to make the noodles shorter so they don't break and cause frustration.

Make a marble or pom pom ball maze out of paper towel rolls

Use an empty dishsoap bottle and squeeze to push an object to a target

Push popcorn kernals into playdough shaped like corn. What better activity for Brentwood?! :)

Fun with food. Draw an animal and make a path to help feed it their favorite food. Use a neat pincer grasp with ring and pinky fingers touching the palm of their hand. If this is difficult have them hold a small object with their ring finger.

Spray bottles are a fun way to work on strengthening. Bring them in the bath if you are worried about water getting everywhere.

The City of Bentwood did a fun and inspirational "chalk your walk" activity to spread joy. Draw on the sidewalk or get out some painters tape for this fun art design.

Sponge activities are a great way to work on strengthening. Cut up a small sponge to work on the smaller muscles of the hand.

Bring toys outside and trace their shadows onto paper or with sidewalk chalk.

The kids love Mr. Ball! Cut a slit in a tennis ball (parents onlyl!), draw on some eyes, and feed him pennies or any small objects.

Put rubberbands around a cup or jar to work on strengthening

Tearing paper is a great fine motor activity! Have them use their imaginations or draw a simple shape or design and have them fill it in with pieces of paper.

Origami is the art of paper folding. There are a lot of simple online videos, or make a paper airplane!

Wind up toys are a great way to work on bilateral skills and grasp

Tops also encourage grasp patterns and fine motor skills

Travel size games are a great way to work on fine motor skills!

Clothespin activities are great for strengthening

Roll play dough flat with a rolling pin

Make shapes with cookie cutters

Roll out play dough snakes

Cut the play dough snakes with scissors

Use stamps to print fun shapes or letters

Pinch play dough using a pincer grasp.

Draw a letter in the dough or have your child trace the letter with their finger or move a marble in the maze

Roll out snakes and make letters. Have your child copy the letter you make or write a letter or their name on a piece of paper and have them lay out the play dough to form each letter