fine motor activities for toddlers (2024)

If you're looking for fine motor activities for toddlers then we have a huge collection of ideas for you! It's amazing how quickly your toddler's fine motor skills will improve with these fun and easy crafts and activities.

Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers

Fine motor skills and fine motor activities are words you'll hear a lot from educators and I've often been asked in our Facebook group about why we put such a focus on this area.

The experts in this area are ocuptational therapists and that's not a qualification that I hold, however in my role as an early childhood teacher this is an area that we focus a lot on.

Lately I (along with my colleagues) have seen an increase in the amount of children who struggle to hold a pencil, use scissors and perform basic fine motor skills that you would expect when they start school. This article from ABC Newsdiscusses this same issue.

What do we mean by fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills are skills that require the use of the smaller muscles of the hands. Gross motor skills are the larger movements (like throwing and catching) whereas fine motor skills include pinching, grasping, holding a pencil, buttoning their clothes, using scissors etc. Like any other skill, this is something that needs to be repeated and practiced.

How can I help my toddler improve their fine motor skills?

The good part about fine motor skills is that it is fun and easy to add more of them to your toddler's day! Some easy ways to improve fine motor activities are:

Playdough - manipulating the play dough uses lots of the smaller muscles in the fingers and hands. You don't have to make your own - this set is always great value and will last for months.

Drawing and coloring - start early with these great toddler crayons and work up to smaller ones.

Encourage the use of scissors - so many children get to kindergarten and have never used scissors. A pair of toddler safe ones like these is a great place to start. Using scissors is a tricky skill that takes a lot of practice and I encourage you to start sooner rather than later.

Do crafts! Crafts naturally incorporate cutting, gluing and drawing which are all great fine motor skills.

Threading or lacing items -start with larger items like cut up toilet roll holders or pool noodles and work your way down to smaller items like beads. One of the best threading toys we bought were these. We started by using pipe cleaners as they were easier to thread. This set was great for building and stacking games too.

Sensory Play - there are so many ways that sensory play and sensory bins help with fine motor. You can find a huge collection of sensory bins HERE.One of my favorite fine motor sets is this one and is perfect for sensory bins and sensory play. You can get this set HERE on Amazon and it's cheap!Ok, let's get started on our activities! I'd love for you to share some pics in our Facebook group or over on Instagram (use #MyBoredToddler )

Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers

Pasta Threaded Straws

There are a lot of skills that go into threading. The rigid form of these strawsmakesthis activity a great introduction to threading. Without thechallenge of holding the straw in place, threading the pasta is much easier and a great confidence booster for beginners! See the full pasta threading activity HERE.

Make building up thoseall-importantfine motor skills fun with this easy to set up and inexpensive activity! See how to set up the activity HERE.

Toilet Roll Haircuts

Crazy hair, loads of emotions and lots of bright colours make this activity fun and engagingfine motor activityfor your toddler. Make use of those empty toilet rolls lurking in your recyclables and turn them into Crazy Hair Toilet Tubes!

More Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers

Gadgets and Gears Fine Motor Play

Hearts Fine Motor Practice - Simple Fun for Kids

Zig Zag Fine Motor Sensory Play - Best Toys 4 Toddlers

Fine Motor Play with Recyclables - Teach Me Mommy

Montessori Inspired Window Washing Activity - Stir the Wonder

Straws and Spools Fine Motor Activity

Fine Motor Skills with Crazy Straws - Powerful Mothering

Matchstick Colour Drop - The Imagination Tree

Fine Motor Play with Flip Top Lids

Felt Button Snake - Apple Green Cottage

DIY Sensory Board Ideas - Extremely Good Parenting with Kara Carrero

FAQs

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

Between the age of 1 and 2 years old your child will be getting better at using those little hands and fingers to stack things and manipulate objects using both hands in a coordinated way. Encourage two-handed activities to help your toddler practice these fine motor skills.

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What activities encourage fine motor skills? ›

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.

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What are fine motor skills for 3 year olds? ›

At age 3, children are developing fine motor control: they're more able to move their fingers independently, using them in more complex tasks such as holding writing utensils like an adult, cutting with scissors and making more complex and precise drawings.

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What are examples of fine motor activities? ›

Examples of Fine Motor Skills

Dialing the phone.
Turning doorknobs, keys, and locks.
Putting a plug into a socket.
Buttoning and unbuttoning clothes.
Opening and closing zippers.
Fastening snaps and buckles.
Tying shoelaces.
Brushing teeth and flossing.

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Feb 11, 2024

What is an example of a fine motor activity? ›

Examples of fine-motor skills include brushing your teeth, holding a pencil/pen to write, using a fork or spoon to feed yourself, cutting with a knife, buttoning a shirt, zipping a zipper, typing on a computer, cutting with scissors, turning a key in a lock, turning a doorknob, turning the pages of a book, and tying ...

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What are the big 6 fine motor skills? ›

Precision teachers often build frequencies on the Big 6 + 6, which include reach, touch, point, place, grasp, release, push, pull, shake, squeeze, tap, and twist (Binder, Haughton, & Bateman, 2002; Desjardins 1995).

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What fine motor skills should a 2.5 year old have? ›

They practise drawing by tracing lines. They can build block towers that are seven blocks high or taller. Your toddler can use scissors with both hands and cut with better control. They can stack rings onto a peg.

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Should a 2 year old know colors? ›

Between the ages of 2 to 3 years old, children begin to learn the names of colors. It's necessary to remember that every child develops at their own pace, and some may only be able to name colors once they are closer to 4 years old. Signs of progress include correctly naming at least three colors.

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How do you test fine motor skills in toddlers? ›

Activities to test flexion/extension:

1) knocking on a door.
2) making puppy dog paws by flopping hands forward (flexion)
3) pretend to (or actually) hold a large tray like a waiter (extension)

Are legos good for fine motor skills? ›

Legos: Legos are excellent for working on fine motor skills as it develops grasp along with intrinsic hand strength having to push them together and pull them apart. Legos also improve hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination since a child has to use both upper extremities to manipulate the pieces.

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Are puzzles fine motor skills? ›

Puzzles Develop Fine Motor Skills

Toddlers and small children exercise their fine motor skills when they do Puzzles. Grasping and fiddling with puzzle pieces activates the smaller muscles in your child's hands and wrists, while selecting and placing the individual pieces improves your child's hand-eye coordination.

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Is coloring a fine motor skill? ›

Manipulating crayons improves a child's dexterity and fine motor skills. Coloring improves hand-eye coordination, which is essential in learning to write letters. Kids learn about force with crayons. A mark can be light or very dark depending on the amount of pressure they use when they draw.

What fine motor skills should a 3 4 year old have? ›

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.

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Which is the best example of a fine motor skill? ›

For example, fine motor skills are needed for things like self-feeding, dressing and undressing, grooming/bathing, toothbrushing, writing, and even texting. For a child, fine motor skills are important for completing school work such as drawing, coloring, and writing their name.

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Which activity demonstrates fine motor skills in infants aged 2 to 4 months? ›

Which activity demonstrates fine motor skills in infants aged 2 to 4 months? Bringing objects from hand to mouth. Indicates a fine motor skill observed in infants aged 2 to 4 months.

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