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In a previous post I listed many options for kids to learn using toys as educational tools. If you missed it, you can read it here. These are fun products, but they can be a bit pricey (and take up a lot of space).
The truth is you don’t have to spend a lot of money on educational toys for your child to develop their fine motor skills. In this blog I will expand on my list of tools and manipulatives, with activities which may not be as fun (household chores!), but which use items you (likely) already have in your home.
Here are some simple and inexpensive, yet effective ways to improve your child’s fine motor skills:
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HOUSEHOLD ACTIVITIES and CHORES
Handwash the Dishes
Help Fold the Laundry or Match Socks
Help Open Boxes and Containers
Scrub Potatoes or other Fruits & Vegetables
Peel Fruit (Oranges, etc.)
Pull Grapes off the Vine
Knead Dough (pizza, bread)
Dust
Wipe Windowsills & Baseboards
Pick Berries
Shell Peas or Peanuts
Place Coins into a Piggy Bank or Coin Sorter
Pick Up Toothpicks and Place Them in a Container
Pick Up Beans or Pasta and Place into a Container
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS to BUILD FINE MOTOR SKILLS
Scissor Skills Practice Books or Activity Sheets – (free option- draw curved and zigzag lines on paper)
Sort Items – any items!
Rip or Crumple Paper
Sharpen Pencils using a Manual Sharpener
String Cheerios onto a Shoelace
Place Elastic Bands on a Paper Towel Roll
Clip Clothespins to an Item (such cardboard)
Clip Paperclips to a Sheet of Paper
Paint Using Cotton-tipped Applicators
Pop Bubbles – use dish soap to make bubble liquid
Place Pegs into a Pegboard
Squirt the Sidewalk with a Water-Filled Spray Bottle
Hammer Nails into a board (with supervision)
ALPHABET & WRITING PRACTICE
Alphabet & Number Magnets – use to spell words and complete math equations
Dry Erase Handwriting Book or Mini Dry Erase Board – saves paper and is a fun activity for young kids
Bonus – it can be used in a vehicle or brought along to use at sports games, practices, etc.
Copy Workbook – printing or cursive – kids learn as they write – a win-win!
Draw and Write Book – allow young authors to write and illustrate their own book
Allow Your Child to Use Colored Pens or Markers to Write!
INEXPENSIVE GAMES which BUILD FINE MOTOR SKILLS
