Activities To Teach Kids About Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve movement of the smaller muscle groups in your child's hands, fingers, and wrists.
Developing fine motor skills will help your child to write and prepares her for school. But it will also help your children with everyday tasks like eating, and dressing themselves.
This is a collection of my favorite fine motor skills activities for toddlers, preschoolers and older kids. Depending on the activity, even babies can join in the play.
Try These Toddler & Pre-schooler Activities
DIY felt pizza
I can see my kids ask for this felt pizza quiet activity again and again. It seems easy to make and makes for fun open ended play.
Dot sticker line
The simplicity of this activity and the fact that it can keep kids busy for a while is why I like this activity. Dot stickers are great to have on hand for fun activities. Kids paste the stickers on the lines, shapes and letters drawn on the paper.
Popsicle sticks posting
This activity is simple but it can keep kids busy for a while. My kids love posting so this activity is great for kids who like posting. If you don’t have a bottle or to mix it up, they can also post into egg cartons with slids cut in.
Plastic Easter egg painting
This activity is a fun way to paint if you have saved plastic Easter eggs from Easter. Kids can make different designs and patterns with the circle shape of the Easter eggs.
Sponge water transfer
Can you transfer the water with the help of a sponge? The sponge will soak up the water, your child can squeeze it out to turn it into water again. Magic!
When the weather is warm, this is a good activity to keep the kids entertained with little setup and low cost. You only need water, bowls and sponges to keep your kids entertained in the summer. They transfer water from one bowl to the next.
This is a great activity for strengthening the muscles of your kid’s hands and fingers, and it is also a good way to cool off on a warm day.
Bead threading fine motor math activity
This activity is a fun way to teach addition (math) to your kids. You only need beads and pipe cleaners and they can play with the beads and pipe cleaners in different ways. You can add different amounts of beads to each end of the pipe cleaner and they can add the numbers together or they can add the beads to the pipe cleaners themselves. Great for fine motor skills and addition (early math skills).
Sequencing printable puzzle
I like print and play puzzles like this sequencing because it only takes a few minutes to make. My son loves puzzles so it's great to keep him busy and it's a great tool to teach kids counting.
Felt flower bouquet busy box
For this activity you get to make a fun flower bouquet busy box. It includes a free printable that guides you how to cut out the flowers and vases.
Foil painting
Kids love painting on different mediums, and I always have foil in the house, making this a perfect kids activity.
Just supply a sheet of foil per child and add paint for an easy art activity for your kids.
Pom pom grab and drop
I like simple to setup activities like this pom pom activity and my kids love transferring items from one container to another. It works on their fine motor skills and concentration. All you need are pom poms, tongs and a container to add the pom poms to.
Foil and playfood sensory activity
I love 2 ingredient kids activities like this foil play. You just need playfood and foil to play. Kids can also unwrap the food and guess what is in each parcel.
Sensory tea time play
This sensory quiet time activity is a very creative way of using your kid's teaset without using water or just air - use rice instead!
You simply fill a sensory bin with rice, add a toy teaset, and voilà - imaginary sensory play.
This activity is better with one kid at a time (except if you have two teapots).
White crayon art
I bet it’s fun for kids to see words, shapes or pictures form when they paint over the drawn on white crayon. And you can repeat this activity as over and over again with different designs.
Cherry blossom cottonball painting
I like how this cotton ball painting activity helps kids create a beautiful art work easily and kids of all ages can do this painting. You also only need a few supplies to do this activity.
Washing dishes sensory play
This is a very useful activity to clean up any dishes left over from playing outside. Or your kids can wash some of their washable toys. Either way it’s a great activity to engage kids for a while.
It just takes a sensory bin, water, scrubbers, soap and some toys to entertain your kids for a long time.
Kids get to practice life skills in this sensory bin and copy you washing dishes.
Dot sticker shapes
In this activity your kids get to play with dot stickers while your they learn shapes. You can teach them shape names. You can write the shape’s names on the paper and point to every letter. It's a good idea to keep a stash of these dot stickers for loads of fun times.
Ice transfer sensory bin
Focus. Let’s transfer some ice!
Ice is fun to play with for kids and it's something everyone has in the house. This activity is great for the summer or warmer weather because one bin is filled with water and the other bin is filled with ice. You fill the bins and kids use tools to transfer the ice into the water.
Pom pom color sort
In this activity your kids will use pom poms and a serving tray (or muffin tin) to sort the pom poms by color.
They will add all the red to one space of the serving tray and repeat it for each color, filling all spaces of the serving tray until the pom poms are sorted.
This activity uses only a few basic supplies and if you buy pom poms and a serving tray, you can repeat this activity as often as you like.
Kids can sort the pom poms by color and size and explore the textures of the pom poms in this quiet time activity.
Pipe cleaners and plates quiet bin
This pipe cleaners and plates quiet activity is really simple and engaging. You just need plastic lined paper plates and pipe cleaners for your kids to play in different ways. You take the paper plates, poke a few holes in and add it together to a quiet bin.
DIY paint brushes
Kids can make fun DIY paint brushes with different materials, like twigs and leaves, ribbon, pom poms and pipe cleaners.
Painting with water and cotton balls
This painting with water activity for kids are so simple and mess free. You just need water and cotton balls. Colored paper is great to have on hand. Just give your child some colored paper, a bowl full of water and cotton balls and they can paint with the water.
Pipe cleaners quiet bin
This is a one ingredient quiet bin - just pipecleaners. Kids can twist the pipecleaners into chains for bracelets and other jewelry. Just cut the pipecleaners into smaller bits and it's ready to go.
Ice cream Sunday quiet bin
I like the idea of making a fun and educational diy toy for my kids that they can play with over and again. In this activity you get to make a cute ice cream felt play set from felt with pompom decorations. Kids build different types of ice cream. You can also ask them to build ice cream with different number of scoops.
Rescue the animals cutting activity
Activities that you can do with items in already in your home is a big win for me.
In this activity, kids not only get to practice cutting skills, but they also get to “rescue” animals stuck inside a muffin tin closed with tape.
Plus all you need are animal figurines, tape and a muffin tin to play!
Matching socks game
Just print out this socks printable,cut it and optionally laminate it. Then your kids can play match it with the socks.
ABC paint match
I like this activity because it is a very simple activity where you only need paint, paper and paint brushes to do the activity with your kids.
Butterfly painting
This butterfly painting activity is really simple and something you can do with your kids without needing too much supplies. You only need paint and paper and a paintbrush to do this activity.
Threading station
I like this activity because kids of different ages can play with it in their own way and you don't need too many supplies or a big setup. All you need are pipe cleaners and straws and a storage container. If you keep it in a sensory bin it will contain some of the mess.
Eggs in the grass sensory bin
With a little creativity you can turn regular rice and pom poms into an Easter themed sensory bin. Just dye rice green to look like grass and add colorful pom poms to look like Easter eggs. You can also add plastic eggs to the bin if you have it. My kids love sensory bins and this Easter themed one is a lot of fun.
Drawing to music art
This activity takes art to a higher level by letting the kids listen to music first, then drawing what the music makes them feel.
It's a simple activity where you only need art supplies and paper with no setup. Because it is so simple, you can do this activity with your kids tonight.
Cardboard rolls flower printing
I always have paint and cardboard rolls in the house so this is a nice and simple activity to do with kids. You can make different cuts in the roll and have different designs.
Wonderfully soft and easy playdough
This is really an awesome recipe for a soft and long lasting playdough.
It’s a treat to play with, and when stored correctly it last a long time.
Make sure you always keep playdough ingredients at home to quickly whip up some quiet time play.
Lint roller worm pickup
If you have a lint roller and some pipe cleaners in your home, you can easily do this activity. Or just buy some supplies and have an activity that your kids can repeat again and again.
Felt button quiet bin
Sometimes it is really worthwhile to make your own diy toys and activities for your kids, like this felt button quiet activity. With a few simple steps and supplies you can make a fun and educational toy for your kids to keep them busy and away from screens.
Dot sticker hearts
This dot stickers heart activity is another fun activity to use dot stickers again and it's also perfect for valentine’s day. You just need dot stickers, paper and a marker to do this activity with your kids. You can also just draw one heart on an a4 paper if you don't have butcher's paper.
Color match clothes pins quiet
This color match clothes pins activity is great for learning different shades of color and it is tricky enough to keep kids busy for a long time.
Muddy pigs sensory play
This activity for kids is messy play without the mess.
Everything is contained in a bag which minimizes the mess and gives a nice sensory effect.
Googly eye creations
This googly eye creations activity is a creativity starter. Its such an inviting activity where kids can turn the two eyes into a number of things. Will they make a monster, a person or an animal? Just glue two eyes to a piece of paper or two and supply it to your kids with some markers or crayons. If you don't have googly eyes, you can also buy some eye stickers for later use.
Yarn and sandpaper kids activity
I like simple activities like this one where you only need a few items to make a great educational toy. You take sandpaper and yarn to create a yarn drawing board. You can also create pattern boards for your kids to replicate. Or they can create designs on their own.
Cotton ball painting
I like how you create new fun paint brushes with this cotton ball painting. Just pinch cotton balls with the clothes pins and your kids are ready to play.
Frozen paint art activity
This frozen paint art and sensory activity is so simple and it makes painting interesting again. Depending on the temperature of the weather it will be a different experience. In warmer weather it will be quicker to melt and in colder temperatures it will be slower to melt. But either way it will be fun to paint with frozen ice and can go together with a frozen theme.
Farm animals washing station
“Dirty, dirty animals. Let’s wash you” - my son, aged almost 4 (who loves washing things).
My kids enjoy playing with water and dirt so this activity will keep them busy for a while. You just need dirt, animal figurines, soapy water and washing tools for your kids to play. They can dip the animals into the dirt and then wash them in the soapy water.
Cutting busy box
Cutting is a skill that is important for kids to learn in a safe and fun way. It teaches fine motor skills and hand eye coordination and kids enjoy the thrill of playing with scissors.
Shape match post it note activity
This activity is easy enough for younger kids to do, since shape matching is not that difficult.
Plus it’s a great activity for me because it uses items that I have in the house, plus it is a great way to use up old paper shopping bags (I use them instead of butchers paper).
Popsicle stick clothespin blending
I like the idea of making a fun and educational toy for my son that he can play with over and over again and that actually teach him something. This activity will teach reading and practice fine motor skills.
When we played it we simplified it by writing every letter but the first letter of the sight word on the Popsicle stick. Then we wrote a letter to the clothes pin. That way you can easily teach words with the same ending such as cat and bat.
Puppet making quiet bin
This puppet making quiet bin is open ended, meaning there is no right or wrong way to play with it. Such activities are some of my kids’ favorite activities. It also only uses a few easy to find supplies which won't break the bank.
Easter egg sensory bin rescue
This activity is an adventure for your kids: to discover what is hidden in the Easter eggs that they’ve rescued. Is it a letter? A number? A fun toy?
Tape a few plastic Easter eggs in a sensory bin in a few different ways and let your kids rescue it with a laddle. For Easter you can add a few chocolate eggs to the bin.
I like this activity because you can use any Easter eggs in this activity but plastic eggs are best because you can add interesting items to the plastic eggs such as letters numbers and other small items. It's great hand eye coordination practice and are sure to keep your kids busy for a while.
Car wash station
This is a great activity when the weather is warmish. It only uses a few things that you have at home and kids usually love playing with water and bubbles.
Summer alphabet coloring book
This printable coloring book is great for teaching the alphabet and for letter recognition. It includes big, inviting pictures to color. You can give one page at a time to your kids or make a book of it.
ABC paper chains
You only need colored paper, a marker and Velcro to make awesome abc paper chains where kids can learn the alphabet and form words with the chains. They can also go crazy and chain together random letters just for fun.
Painting with water
My kids love playing with water and painting. This activity combines both - painting with water.
You just need colored paper, paint brushes and water for your kids to paint with water.
Weather art
I like this activity because kids get to practice their creativity skills, by making their own weather painting from scraps and paint.
It’s a great fine motor and sensory activity, and they get something that they can be proud of at the end.
Cardboard roll quiet activity
Any activity that uses a few easy to find supplies is great in my eyes. Dot stickers and cardboard rolls are all you need to play this game.
Sticker busy bin
Give your kids a container filled with stickers with their favorite character and fun shapes and images and it’s sure to entertain them for a while.
Stickers are great for practicing fine motor skills and creativity. You can buy different types and shapes of stickers for kids to play with. Add crayons or markers for drawing and they are ready for quiet time.
Pouring station
This is a low or no cost activity that my kids enjoy doing. They both like pouring and water play and you can use whatever equipment you have.
This activity is great for when you have no energy left, and you just want the kids to keep themselves busy for a few minutes.
Alphabet tracing worksheets
These tracing worksheets are great for teaching kids the alphabet and for some handwriting practice. Laminate them for durability so kids can play with them again and again.
Popsicle stick and pins quiet bin
What’s this? Popsicle sticks and clothing pins? What can I build with it? Let’s find out!
This quiet bin is a great building activity that helps foster creativity. Popsicle sticks and clothespins are all you need for this educational activity. Kids build different things by attaching Popsicle sticks to the clothes pins.
Ice sensory bin
Ice Ice baby! Ice is interesting for kids to transfer and in this activity they will do just that - use tongs or laddles to transport ice from water to another bin.
Sensory bins are sure to keep my kids busy for a while so that I can get a short break. This ice and water sensory bin is so easy to setup and doesn't require too many supplies. You just need to make sure you have ice in the freezer. Add the ice and water to a bin inside a bigger bin, add utensils and bowls and invite your kids to play. This activity is great for warmer weather but can be done indoor as well.
Simple clothes pin and basket activity
It literally takes 1 minute for this activity to be ready to play, and you very likely already have clothes pins in your home.
My kids usually struggle to pin clothes pins onto something. But in this activity they only have to take the pins off, which makes it easier for younger kids to play with.
If you have older kids, ask them to put the pins on the basket.
Playdough slicing
Playdough is great to play with - it's cheap and you can play in so many ways with it. Like this activity where kids gets to practice slicing with plastic knives (under supervision if course).
Chickpea scoop
Dried beans is a sensory delight to play with, and one kids are sure to love playing with over and over again.
I like this activity because it is simple, inexpensive, and you can use different types of beans (or a combination) for your kids to play with.
You just need some beans, a big bowl, a sensory tub, scoops and a few smaller containers to play.
Pom Pom wall activity
This kids activity not only looks inviting, but it also uses things that you probably already have in the house: paper towel or toilet paper tubes, coloured paper, pom poms and tape.
Pipe cleaners stickman copy
This pipecleaners stickman activity is so cute because kids get to copy the printout and bend the stickman according to the printout. Move the arms up, legs down etc. You make the pipe cleaners men and then kids get to bend it in different ways. Free printable included.
Feed the turkey
In this activity you get to make a simple and fun toy for your kids. They get to scoop and transfer pom poms into the turkey's mouth.
Felt and pipecleaners tree activity
If you keep felt and pipecleaners in your home, you can easily do this activity with your kids.
You can cut either flowers or leaves out of felt, or do both.
Kitchen tools as paintbrushes
This activity takes painting to the next level, by using kitchen tools as paint brushes.
A potato masher would make awesome prints if paired with paint and paper. And I wonder what a fork and cookie cutters would look like. Fun!