10 Fun Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers (2024)

As parents, we want to give our kids the best start so they’re prepared for life. That's why we read to our kids, teach them how to share and be nice so they can make friends, and we even give them routines to help them learn how to get through a day with relative calm. But there's one more thing we can do to help little ones succeed in school; we can give them lots of opportunities to practice their fine motor skills.

Fine motor skills help children learn hand-to-eye coordination using the small muscles in their fingers, hands, and wrists. This skill set lays the groundwork for kids to grasp pencils and utensils, tie their shoes, and use safety scissors on their first day of school. But while those tasks may seem rather basic to a grown-up, they require practice for young kids to master. To help give your toddler’s fine-motor muscles a workout, here are 10 great fine motor activities to try at home.

Fine Motor Threading Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via Laughing Kids Learn

Threading activities are great for toddlers because they give them the opportunities to grasp and guide an object. Using a simple cardboard toilet paper tube and some colorful straws, little kids can thread the straws into pre-cut holes to make funky sculptures. Add a challenge by creating a simple threaded cardboard tube and ask your child to copy what they see.

Clothespin Color Matching Toddler Fine Motor Activity

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Image and activity via Chalk Academy

Grasping and guiding can be a tricky skill to master, so why not make it fun? Create an eye-catching color wheel on thick paper and add matching colorful clothespins. Your child can learn how to use their fine motor skills while also learning their colors. Add a pre-literacy challenge by writing letters or numbers on the colors and asking your child to use the clothespins to clip the letters and numbers.

Sticker Names Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via Busy Toddler

Any fine motor skills activity that weaves in math and reading skills is a huge bonus. That's why we like this sticker name activity that gets kids using their fingertips to pull and stick stickers to pre-written letters. When they are done, they can feel proud that they spelled out their name, and you can feel good that your child just got an excellent fine motor skills workout.

Playdough Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via My Happy Place

Playdough is magical when it comes to learning fine motor skills. Kids love to pinch, pull, stretch, and roll the dough, which doubles as a fantastic sensory activity. The playdough acts as a resistance, making your child work their muscles to manipulate the dough into various shapes. With a touch of imagination, kids can create all kinds of creative things while also building up those fine motor skills.

Tongs and Tweezer Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via Craftulate

Tongs and tweezers can help littles learn how to grasp while guiding small objects, boosting their hand-to-eye coordination. Kids can have fun using a muffin tin, some construction paper, pom-poms, and tweezers or tongs. If they get bored with colorful pom-poms, try adding a challenge and have your child sort small toys or other objects.

Scissor Lions Toddler Fine Motor Activity

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Image and activity via Kids Activities

Scissors can be exceedingly frustrating for small children. They can see where they want to cut, but the act of simultaneously squeezing, guiding, and hand-to-eye coordination can be too much. This fun activity gives kids the chance to chop some messy lion hair plus color and play. Grab a simple paper plate, some crayons, and scissors, and let your child practice making small snips. Add a challenge and give them line drawings to cut out once they master making snips.

Tape Animal Rescue Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via How We Play and Learn

Opposite from the sticker name game, this activity asks kids to practice their picking skills by using their fingertips to pry off painter's tape to save their toy animal friends. Simply tape a few small toys to a piece of cardboard, a sheet pan, or another tray and let the fun begin. Add a challenge and use rubber bands! Wrap a few small plastic toys in rubber bands and have your child unwrap them. They will be using the same skills to set their animals free.

Button Stacking Toddler Fine Motor Activity

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Image and activity via The Chaos and the Clutter

We love this colorful activity because, like the threading fine motor activity, it gives kids the opportunity to focus on grasping and guiding small objects. Tots can stick toothpicks into playdough and then "thread" buttons onto the toothpicks. Or, they can use the playdough to stick buttons together, building a neat sculpture.

Squeezing Water Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers

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Image and activity via Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

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.

Pool Noodle Balancing Fine Motor Activity

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Image and activity via Learning4Kids

If your child loves playing tongs and tweezers, then try this fun activity. Cut up a pool noodle and have your child use tongs or tweezers to pick up colorful pom-poms to balance on the top of pool noodle section. Add a challenge and ask your child how many pom-poms they can get to balance on one noodle.

More Toddler Activities:

  • Sensory Activities for Babies and Toddlers
  • Science Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
  • Literacy Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts

As an expert in child development and education, I can provide information related to the concepts mentioned in this article. The article discusses the importance of fine motor skills in children and provides 10 fine motor activities for toddlers to practice and develop these skills.

Fine Motor Skills and their Importance

Fine motor skills refer to the coordination and control of the small muscles in the fingers, hands, and wrists. These skills are essential for various tasks, such as grasping pencils, tying shoelaces, and using utensils. Developing fine motor skills in early childhood lays the foundation for future academic and everyday tasks.

Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers

  1. Threading Activity: Threading activities, such as using colorful straws and cardboard tubes, help toddlers practice grasping and guiding objects .
  2. Clothespin Color Matching: This activity involves using clothespins to match colors on a color wheel, helping toddlers improve their fine motor skills while learning colors.
  3. Sticker Names: Toddlers can practice fine motor skills by pulling and sticking stickers onto pre-written letters, spelling out their names.
  4. Playdough: Playing with playdough allows toddlers to pinch, pull, stretch, and roll the dough, improving their fine motor skills and sensory development.
  5. Tongs and Tweezers: Using tongs or tweezers, toddlers can grasp and sort small objects, such as pom-poms, enhancing their hand-to-eye coordination.
  6. Scissor Lions: This activity involves using scissors to cut out lion hair and other shapes, helping toddlers develop scissor skills and hand coordination.
  7. Tape Animal Rescue: Toddlers can practice fine motor skills by using their fingertips to remove tape and "rescue" small toys from a surface.
  8. Button Stacking: By sticking toothpicks into playdough and threading buttons onto them, toddlers can improve their grasping and guiding skills.
  9. Squeezing Water: Using a turkey baster, toddlers can squeeze and shoot water, improving their hand strength and coordination.
  10. Pool Noodle Balancing: This activity involves using tongs or tweezers to pick up pom-poms and balance them on cut-up pool noodles, enhancing fine motor skills.

These activities provide opportunities for toddlers to practice and refine their fine motor skills in a fun and engaging way. By incorporating these activities into their daily routines, parents can support their child's development and prepare them for future academic tasks.

Remember, it's important to supervise children during these activities to ensure their safety and provide guidance when needed.

10 Fun Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers (2024)
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