Long before children start writing, they first need to develop their fine motor skills.
This means strengthening those muscles that will help them have the ability to hold a writing tool and complete other important tasks such as feeding oneself, buttoning, zippering, and more. Any activity that encourages your child to coordinate both hands together is especially great for development. The fine motor skills activities for toddlers listed below help little hands to develop dexterity and strength.
- Squeezing Water – This simple water activity is perfect for strengthening your toddler’s fine motor skills. All you need are a couple of basters and a container of water, and your kids will be kept busy for quite a while!
- Pom-Pom Whisk – Pom-Pom Whisk is a great problem-solving challenge for little ones! It also requires hand-eye coordination and develops focus and concentration.
- Q-Tip Push – Turn an egg carton into an engaging activity for your toddler. This easy activity takes two minutes or less to prep.
- Cheerio Caterpillars – This Cheerio Caterpillars activity develops your toddler’s fine motor skills, counting, and artistic expression all at once!
- Building Bridges with Craft Sticks – Work on fine motor skills with an easy craft stick bridge-building activity that invites creative play, too!
- Rainbow Hearts Dot Sicker Activity – You only need about three minutes to prep for this activity, and it’s sure to keep your toddler busy!
- Peel Tape Activity – Simple, cheap, and easy, this fine motor activity does so much to strengthen little fingers as they grab and pull the tape!
- Hammering Tees into a Box – This is a great fine motor task for little hands, and works on hand-eye coordination, too! Poke some holes in a cardboard box and let your toddler use a toy hammer to hammer in golf tees!
- Dot Sticker Snowflake – This fun and easy-to-set-up Dot Sticker Snowflake makes for a great wintertime fine motor activity. You can get creative and use other shapes, too!
- Rainbow Ball Game – In addition to being great for fine motor skills, this activity is a playful way for little ones to learn colors!
- Easter Egg Color Matching – This easy fine motor activity is perfect for little hands. All you need are some Easter eggs, pompoms or beads, and a pair of kid friendly tongs or chopsticks!
- Animal Tape Rescue – Use tape and small toys in this activity to get toddlers working, focused, and sitting still for half a second.
Have you tried any other fine motor skills for toddlers? Let us know!
