41 Fine Motor Games/Activities

This week I have been making lists of activities that you can use for an Activity Schedule.  Today I have a list of 41 Fine Motor Activities.  Why did I choose 41?  I have no idea, except for when I was looking for Matching Activities, I stopped at 41.  Guess it's the lucky number for now.  I tried not to duplicate the Matching Activities or the Sorting Activities, so if you want more ideas, check out those posts.  A lot of those activities involve fine motor as well.  Click on the picture to get the amazon info on the product.

Add tweezers/tongs to any activity, and that will give you some good fine motor :)

After you practice unwrapping the candy :) Practice putting in coins.  Or make your own bank with a small box, or an old jar.

This was always a favorite toy of all the kiddos

Draw circles on a paper that they have to mark, or draw bugs that they need to squish with the paint.  You can usually buy bingo paints at the dollar store.

For beginners, have them make one inch snips along a half sheet of paper.  As they get better, they can cut a line across the paper, then a circle.  You can probably find cutting worksheets online as well. 

Your child can be the fruit ninja, just throw this fruit at them and see if they can cut it in midair :)  I would be really impressed if they could do it.  And I would also be impressed if no one got hurt in the process.

You can buy these for only $40! Or, you can make one like I did in the picture below for $1.

Another thing you could do with pompoms is have the child use a spoon to scoop them from one cup to another (you'd need a larger opening than this picture though)

Link the alphabet together, or link simple words together

Have the child hold the magnet wand in one hand, and collect all the disks or balls in the other hand.  Then have them put the objects one at a time in a container like the tootsie roll bank or the home made container you made for $1.  The hand that is putting the objects in the container should be the same hand that is holding all the objects too.

You can work on patterning or sorting colors/shapes

If you want to work on matching, you can take pictures of Mr. Potato Head and they have to match their potato head to the picture.  This would require having more potato head accessories.

Hide little objects in the theraputty, then when the child finds the items, they can put them into a jar

Make a container (or use the tootsie roll bank if it fits) and put the popsicle sticks in the container.  You could also make a container with different colored slots, and they have to put the right color in each slot.

You can trace letters with stickers, or sort colors, or match the stickers to shapes/colors on a paper, or just give them a blank paper and let them make their own design.  Just peeling the sticker off and putting it on a paper is a lot of fine motor skills.

Trace pictures with the wikki stix

Something I like to do with tracing to save paper is I put tracing worksheets or a paper with the child's name on it inside a sheet protector, and then I have them trace with a dry erase marker.  I like to use the skinny markers though, so it's more like holding a crayon or pencil.

10 additional activities ideas (without pictures)

• Zippers-get a zipper board (these are good for practicing latching the zipper like a coat), or little coin purses with zippers.  You can put coins in the coin purses, they can unzip it, and put the coins in a bank.
• Buttons-get a button board or an old button up shirt.  They can put the shirt on a doll, or on themselves.  Bigger buttons are easier to start with.
• Locks with keys.  You can color code the locks with the keys or put pictures, abcs, numbers, etc. to make it easier for them to figure out which key unlocks which lock.
• Clothespins-these are great for everything.  You hang up doll clothes on a clothesline, you can match colors, pictures, letters, numbers, etc. by putting the clothespin on the matching card, or on a paper plate with pictures around it.
• Play-doh - you can give them a picture of something they need to try to make out of play-doh.  You can have them make a snake and then cut it with scissors.  You can have them make the first letter of their name.
• Coloring pages
• Turkey Baster/Eye Dropper - Use one of these to transfer water from one bottle/cup to another.
• Make a fruit loop necklace
• Put toothpicks into a salt shakers
• Make confetti with paper and a hole puncher

Joy Mano
Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant
Early Intervention Treatment for Children With Autism

This week I have been making lists of activities that you can use for an Activity Schedule.  Today I have a list of 41 Fine Motor Activities.  Why did I choose 41?  I have no idea, except for when I was looking for Matching Activities, I stopped at 41.  Guess it's the lucky number for now.  I tried not to duplicate the Matching Activities or the Sorting Activities, so if you want more ideas, check out those posts.  A lot of those activities involve fine motor as well.  Click on the picture to get the amazon info on the product.

Add tweezers/tongs to any activity, and that will give you some good fine motor :)

After you practice unwrapping the candy :) Practice putting in coins.  Or make your own bank with a small box, or an old jar.

This was always a favorite toy of all the kiddos

Draw circles on a paper that they have to mark, or draw bugs that they need to squish with the paint.  You can usually buy bingo paints at the dollar store.

For beginners, have them make one inch snips along a half sheet of paper.  As they get better, they can cut a line across the paper, then a circle.  You can probably find cutting worksheets online as well. 

Your child can be the fruit ninja, just throw this fruit at them and see if they can cut it in midair :)  I would be really impressed if they could do it.  And I would also be impressed if no one got hurt in the process.

You can buy these for only $40! Or, you can make one like I did in the picture below for $1.

Another thing you could do with pompoms is have the child use a spoon to scoop them from one cup to another (you'd need a larger opening than this picture though)

Link the alphabet together, or link simple words together

Have the child hold the magnet wand in one hand, and collect all the disks or balls in the other hand.  Then have them put the objects one at a time in a container like the tootsie roll bank or the home made container you made for $1.  The hand that is putting the objects in the container should be the same hand that is holding all the objects too.

You can work on patterning or sorting colors/shapes

If you want to work on matching, you can take pictures of Mr. Potato Head and they have to match their potato head to the picture.  This would require having more potato head accessories.

Hide little objects in the theraputty, then when the child finds the items, they can put them into a jar

Make a container (or use the tootsie roll bank if it fits) and put the popsicle sticks in the container.  You could also make a container with different colored slots, and they have to put the right color in each slot.

You can trace letters with stickers, or sort colors, or match the stickers to shapes/colors on a paper, or just give them a blank paper and let them make their own design.  Just peeling the sticker off and putting it on a paper is a lot of fine motor skills.

Trace pictures with the wikki stix

Something I like to do with tracing to save paper is I put tracing worksheets or a paper with the child's name on it inside a sheet protector, and then I have them trace with a dry erase marker.  I like to use the skinny markers though, so it's more like holding a crayon or pencil.

10 additional activities ideas (without pictures)

• Zippers-get a zipper board (these are good for practicing latching the zipper like a coat), or little coin purses with zippers.  You can put coins in the coin purses, they can unzip it, and put the coins in a bank.
• Buttons-get a button board or an old button up shirt.  They can put the shirt on a doll, or on themselves.  Bigger buttons are easier to start with.
• Locks with keys.  You can color code the locks with the keys or put pictures, abcs, numbers, etc. to make it easier for them to figure out which key unlocks which lock.
• Clothespins-these are great for everything.  You hang up doll clothes on a clothesline, you can match colors, pictures, letters, numbers, etc. by putting the clothespin on the matching card, or on a paper plate with pictures around it.
• Play-doh - you can give them a picture of something they need to try to make out of play-doh.  You can have them make a snake and then cut it with scissors.  You can have them make the first letter of their name.
• Coloring pages
• Turkey Baster/Eye Dropper - Use one of these to transfer water from one bottle/cup to another.
• Make a fruit loop necklace
• Put toothpicks into a salt shakers
• Make confetti with paper and a hole puncher

Joy Mano
Utah PLAY Project Home Consultant
Early Intervention Treatment for Children With Autism