100+ Fine Motor Activities For Kids - Happy Toddler Playtime (2024)

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What are Fine Motor skills? Why are Fine Motor Skills Important? Fine Motor Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers More Fine Motor Activities for Kids More Fine Motor Activities for Kids Even More Ways to Improve Fine Motor Skills WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE FINE MOTOR SKILL CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER? PIN IT FOR LATER! FAQs References

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INSIDE: Looking for fun and easy fine motor activities for your toddler or preschooler? This post has over 100 craft and activity ideas you can easily create at home or in the classroom to help your child or students improve their fine motor skills.

See Also
40 Best Fine Motor Activities for Kids in 202415+ Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers24 Spring Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers - Taming Little Monsters85+ Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers- Guaranteed to Keep Them Busy!

What are Fine Motor skills?

Fine motor skills are like the unsung heroes of a child’s development. They involve the use of those small muscles in the hands and fingers and are essential for performing everyday tasks. Think about it: from tying shoelaces to buttoning a shirt, or even holding a pencil to write – these skills are a big deal in a kid’s world!

Why are Fine Motor Skills Important?

Developing fine motor skills in young children is not just about preparing them for writing. It’s about building the foundation for a range of skills. When kids get better at using their fingers and hands, they gain a sense of independence. Suddenly, they can zip up their jackets, open snack packets, or build a towering LEGO masterpiece all by themselves. It’s a big boost to their confidence and self-esteem. Plus, it’s amazing to see their little faces light up with pride when they master a new skill.

See Also
50+ Easy Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers - Active Littles

And here’s another cool part – working on fine motor skills also helps with brain development. Each time a child picks up a small object, they’re not just practicing coordination; they’re also building neural connections in the brain. These connections are super important for all sorts of things, from problem-solving to the ability to concentrate.

So, when we talk about fine motor skills, we’re talking about much more than just moving fingers – we’re talking about building confident, independent, and smart little individuals. And the best part? We can enhance these skills through simple, everyday activities and play. Yes, that’s right, play! Simple tasks like stacking blocks, playing with playdough, or even arts and crafts are not just fun – they’re an investment in our kids’ development. So, let’s get those little hands moving and see where their creativity and newfound skills take them!

Ready to check out the ideas?! Here are over 100 ways your little one can play and create to improve their fine motor skills!

100+ Fine Motor Activities For Kids - Happy Toddler Playtime (1)

Fine Motor Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

  1. (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  2. Bird Seed Sweep {A Fine Motor Activity} (Little Pine Learners)
  3. Paper Pale Apple Lacing Craft (Kids Craft Room)
  4. Broomstick Fine Motor Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  5. Fine Motor Lantern Craft (The OT Toolbox)
  6. Washi Tape Sesame Street Character Craft (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  7. Fish Sewing Board – Sewing Learning Activity for Kids (Happy Tot Shelf)
  8. Torn Paper Watermelon Craft (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
  9. Paper Chain Rainbow Craft (How We Learn)
  10. Textured Rainbow Suncatcher Craft (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  11. Paper Plate Flower Fine Motor Craft (Toddler Approved)
  12. Cotton Ball Names (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  13. Sticky Fish – Inspire My Play
https://www.instagram.com/p/COiwmjSsG3G/?igshid=1v9n3sisvxpxb

Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers

  1. Cookie Cutter Fine Motor Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  2. Cutting Practice Made Fun! (Days with Grey)
  3. Make Preschool Fine Motor Practice Fun with Buttons (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
  4. Musical Instrument Rescue (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  5. FINE MOTOR STRENGTH FOIL ACTIVITY (The OT Toolbox)
  6. KITCHEN WHISK BABY FINE MOTOR SKILLS SENSORY ACTIVITY (Hello Wonderful)
  7. Fruit Loop Graph (Play to Learn Preschool)
  8. Cap Twist Off Board (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  9. Sticker Lines: Fine Motor Activity (Busy Toddler)
  10. Wash the Socks: a Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers (Days with Grey)
  11. Sea Animal Rescue: Fine Motor Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  12. Clip Worm Fine Motor Activity (Your Therapy Source)
  13. Quick and Easy Fine Motor Clothespin Activity (School Time Snippets)
  14. Frozen Lego Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  15. Taped toys fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers (Laughing Kids Learn)
  16. Rescue the Zoo Animals (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  17. Toddler Glue Dots and Buttons (Tinkerlab)
  18. Dot to Dot Fine Motor Activity (Days with Grey)
  19. Car Fine Motor Activity with Stickers (Toddler Approved)
  20. Car Mechanic Pretend Play Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  21. Peeling Orange Fine Motor Activity (hello, Wonderful)
  22. Wine Cork Push: Fine Motor Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  23. Fine Motor Skills Activities using an empty Cheese Container and Toothpicks (Active Littles)
  24. Elastic Bands and Pool Noodles (And Next Comes L)
  25. Frozen Pom Poms (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  26. Fine Motor Skills: Rainbow Rice in a Jar – Kcedventures
  27. Fizzy Shapes Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)

More Fine Motor Activities for Kids

  1. Cardboard Tube Yarn Threading (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  2. Toddlers Love Hammering Tees into a Box! (Hands On As We Grow)
  3. Fine Motor Skills Activity with Beads (Toddler Approved)
  4. Counting Hearts Wand (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  5. Hole Punch Fine Motor Activity (The Resourceful Mama)
  6. Fine Motor Activity to Keep Kids Busy When You Need It (Hands On As We Grow)
  7. (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  8. Connect the Stickers Fine Motor Activity for Kids (Toddler Approved)
  9. DIY Alphabet Fine Motor Activity for Preschool (Active Littles)
  10. Flower Fine Motor Threading (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  11. Peeling Tape Fine Motor Activity (Messy Little Monsters)
  12. Baby Doll Haircuts (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  13. Feed the Caterpillar Pom Pom Drop (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  14. Highlighter Trace – a Fine Motor Activity for Preschoolers (Days with Grey)
  15. Pom Pom Water Transfer (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  16. Pom Pom Drop Sticky Wall (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  17. Pool Noodle Fine Motor Play (the Mundane and The Miraculous Life)
  18. Lego Car Wash Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  19. Sticky Tape Shapes (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  20. Feed the Frog (Therapy Fun Zone)
  21. Spagetti Drop Fine Motor Sensory Bin for Toddlers
  22. Hole Punch Turkey Counting
  23. Bear Boat Rescue; Fine Motor Activity (Days with Grey)
  24. Play Dinner Rescue Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  25. Spaghetti Bead Towers Fine Motor Activity (Glitter On A Dime)
  26. Feed the Animals: An Easy Toddler Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)

More Fine Motor Activities for Kids

  1. Moon Rock Letters Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  2. Bead & Button Pipe Cleaner Bracelets (Glitter On a Dime)
  3. Fine motor activity using a spiky ball and loom bands (Laughing Kids Learn)
  4. Dinosaur Bones Sticky Wall (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  5. Baby Doll Bandaid Shape Matching Play Activity (Finding Myself Young)
  6. Rocket Ship Clothespin Counting Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  7. Colour Matching Cotton Tip Push Toddler Activity (My Bored Toddler)
  8. Simple Fine Motor Activity with Paper Clips (Hands On As We Grow)
  9. Fine motor ribbon and whisk activity (Laughing Kids Learn)
  10. Ice Sensory Bin (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  11. Pipe Cleaner and Cardboard Box
  12. Fine Motor with Keys in Play Dough (My Bored Toddler)
  13. Drawing to Music Art Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  14. Poking Bin: Fine Motor Skills Fun (Busy Toddler)
  15. Baby Doll Hair Cuts (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  16. Fine Motor Tweezers – The OT Toolbox
  17. Leaf Counting Wands (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  18. Fine motor skill pipette activity for finger gyms (Nuture Store)
  19. Bottle Cap Fine Motor Play (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
  20. Salt Writing Tray: Fun Sensory Activity for Preschoolers (Mom Brite)
  21. Clothespin Counting Activity for Preschoolers (School Time Snippets)
  22. Foil Puzzle Presents (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  23. Teaching Kids to Sew (Red Ted Art)
  24. Making Letters in Play Dough(School Time Snippets)
  25. Toddler fine motor activity. Pompoms and chopsticks (Learn With Play At Home)
  26. Building Fine Motor Skills: Feather Beading (Craft Play Learn)
  27. Spray the Flowers: Fine Motor Outdoor Activity (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  28. Q-Tip Water Tracing (Happy Toddler Playtime)
  29. Clip the Colors (Little Ones Learn)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB5cp25BWkD/?igshid=19q9ier3j8nb
  1. Threading Holey Golf Balls (A Crafty Living)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL-32qBhPRa/?taken-by=acraftyliving
  1. Fireworks Colour Match (7 Days of Play)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJV9pdbs2u4/?igshid=1g7iarikhu0ke
  1. Q-Tip Sheep (Happy Toddler Playtime)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAXVuHFeg6/?igshid=1wjyx6xfuyll
  1. Fine Motor Alphabet and Coloured Water Activity (7 Days of Play)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNZ9oitsweQ/?igshid=1wjpj9socqybw
  1. Free the Ducks (Keep Kids Busy)
https://www.instagram.com/p/COiTtW7FWkf/?igshid=spvzo9dxen83
  1. Blossom Play Dough Squash (Harry Louis Adventures)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CON6D-qFral/?igshid=1nvv7lob70ghc

Even More Ways to Improve Fine Motor Skills

Check out these three round up of activities that are great for developing and strengthening fine motor muscles in toddlers and preschoolers.

  • 21+ Spray Bottle Fine Motor Ideas
  • 40+ Easy Play Dough Activities
  • 30+ Rescue Missions: Fun Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers
  • 50+ Prewriting Activities for Preschoolers
  • 20+ Gluing Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE FINE MOTOR SKILL CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER? PIN IT FOR LATER!

100+ Fine Motor Activities For Kids - Happy Toddler Playtime (2)
100+ Fine Motor Activities For Kids - Happy Toddler Playtime (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of a fine motor skill performed by a toddler? ›

Examples of fine motor skills are: buttoning up a shirt. holding a pencil. picking up food.

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What are the activities for fine motor skills for children? ›

Provide interesting experiences which help children practice fine motor skills. Cooking, gardening, sewing, fixing and making things are all good examples of activities that involve using tools and small movements with accuracy and precision.

Read On ›
What are the fine motor skills of a three year old include ________? ›

Examples of fine motor skills for 3-4 year olds include: Stacks up to 9 blocks. Copies a circle. Imitates a cross.

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Which play activity is best suited to the gross motor skills of the toddler? ›

Outdoor Gross Motor Activities

Balancing: Have your child walk on a low beam or plank at the playground or a homemade balance beam. Climbing, stretching, and reaching: Set up obstacle courses with rocks, logs, or playground equipment. Riding: Encouage kids to play with tricycles, scooters, and other ride-on toys.

Get More Info Here ›
What are four examples of gross motor skills for toddlers? ›

Anything a child does to get from one spot to another is locomotion. Examples of gross motor skills in the locomotion category can include rolling, belly crawling, crawling on hands and knees, scooting, walking, running, climbing, leaping, jumping, and hopping.

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What are the 5 motor skills? ›

The five basic motor skills are sitting, standing, walking, running, and jumping. A few reasons why motor skills are important are: They make a person able to move and complete tasks efficiently. Motor skill development supports cognitive, speech, and sensory development.

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What are fine motor strength activities? ›

Fine-motor activities

◗ Play with playdough, biscuit dough or exercise putty – knead, squeeze, roll, cut out using cutters, squeeze playdough through a garlic crusher. ◗ Make as many playdough sausages as you can in one minute. Then cut up the sausages with scissors or a plastic knife.

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What is an activity that requires fine motor skills? ›

Fine motor skills involve the use of the smaller muscle of the hands, commonly in activities like using pencils, scissors, construction with lego or duplo, doing up buttons and opening lunch boxes.

Find Out More ›
What is squeezing activities for toddlers? ›

Squeezing Water Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

Kids love water, so use it to your advantage. Grab a bucket of water and turkey baster and let your little one have a blast squeezing the baster to fill it with water and then squeezing it again to shoot the water out. This game is wonderful to play during bath time.

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What fine motor skills can a 3 year old do? ›

Encouraging Fine Motor Skills at 3 to 4 Years. From around the age of three and a half, children can use scissors to cut more precisely (following lines and curves). They can copy some letters with a tripod grip and draw a person with a head, trunk, legs, and arms. They will attempt to draw a variety of named pictures.

Learn More Now ›

What are three developmental skills a 5 year old child can do? ›

Cognitive Milestones (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
  • Counts to 10. ...
  • Names some numbers between 1 and 5 when you point to them. ...
  • Uses words about time, like “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” “morning,” or “night” ...
  • Pays attention for 5 to 10 minutes during activities. ...
  • Writes some letters in her name.

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Why are fine motor skills important for toddlers? ›

These skills are necessary for many aspects of self-care as children, for example: putting on shoes, feeding themselves, cleaning their own teeth. Fine motor skills are also critical for the development of emergent writing.

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What type of play do most toddlers engage in? ›

This list explains how children's play changes by age as they grow and develop social skills.
  • Unoccupied Play (Birth-3 Months) ...
  • Solitary Play (Birth-2 Years) ...
  • Spectator/Onlooker Behavior (2 Years) ...
  • Parallel Play (2+ Years) ...
  • Associate Play (3-4 Years)
May 19, 2019

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What are push and pull activities for toddlers? ›

Squirt, Squeeze and Spray Water

Even when you are busy in the kitchen, you and your child can investigate pushes and pulls! Set her up at the sink with a basin of warm water, some plastic cups and bottles and kitchen tools she can use to push water, like squeeze bottles and spray bottles.

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Which type of play uses a child's fine motor skills? ›

Early Manipulative Play. Manipulative Play in the early stages is about learning to use your hands. Fine motor skills develop through a number of different stages from sensory awareness to in-hand manipulation and tool-use. These skills are essential for the development of other activities of daily living.

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What are fine motor skills problems in toddlers? ›

There are many signs of fine motor delay in children that parents should watch out for. Children with fine motor delay do not show interest in grasping objects. They often have poor hand-eye coordination, and they can appear to be rather clumsy.

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What fine motor skills should a 2 month old have? ›

Fine motor skills

2 months: holds a rattle when placed in their hand. 3 months: reaches toward dangling objects and people's faces. 4 months: holds and shakes rattle, plays with and watches their own fingers. 5 months: reaches for a toy with two hands; uses whole hand to grasp a toy.

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What is the best example of a baby's early fine motor skill? ›

6 months. Most babies at this age can clasp their hands together. They can usually reach for things with both arms at the same time. At 6 months, your baby may be able to hold small objects for a short time.

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