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Easy Fine Motor Skills Activities to Do at Home with Infants & Toddlers

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This post includes two really simple fine motor activities to do at home with your infants & toddlers! The fact that I gathered materials from around my house was convenience and cost effective! Plus, I knew that our one year old would be into the activity. As it turns out so was our 2.5-year-old.

Fine Motor Activities for infants & Toddlers

Easy Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers & Infants

Fine Motor Activity Using a Can & PomPoms

All you need to make this activity happen is a can, different sized pompoms, and an X-Acto knife.

I added an element of size to the fine motor activity by cutting (with an X-Acto knife) three different sized holes in the cover of the can. In addition, I loaded different sized and different colored pom poms into a separate container. At that point, I encouraged my sons to begin the process of transferring the pom poms.

What pure and simple fun. My 2.5-year-old began teaching my one year old how to “do it”. “Like this…” and teaching him colors, “This is purple…and this one is green…” and teaching him size, “This one is big, this one is small…”

Pretty awesome and easy stuff.

Fine Motor Activity Using Twine

Fine Motor Activities for infants & Toddlers

Materials

  • Twine (or yarn or lacing, etc)
  • Objects to thread
  • Small Basket

The objects I used were random bits of piping. You can find cheap beads at the Dollar Store and intriguing objects to thread from the hardware store. The objects I chose were identical except for color. The direct aim is fine motor skill development but an indirect aim for my 3.5-year child, at the very least, is pattern work.

Approach

I knotted the twine and then glued one objects at the base of the twine. Twine also provided a nice tactile sensory experience.
I called my almost 2-year-old over and told him I wanted to show him something new: “Twine. Piping.” I said only those two words then demonstrated the threading in silence.

He was immediately interested and began trying on his own once I had finished introducing the work. It was pretty amazing to observe something so simple and so inexpensive be so effective at developing a 2-year-old.

Sharpening Pencils

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We use color pencils for a lot of activities: coloring, tracing and, well, sharpening. Most often, folks, practical life skills are right in front of our eyes. We just have to make it possible for our children. Developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination is possible throughout the day, every day. Just make it happen. Pretty simple. Sharpener. Pencils. Opportunity.

I hope we inspired you today.
Marnie

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