6.30.2009

fine motor fun...just in time for summer!

Spray Away

Fill an empty spray bottle with water. Show your toddler how to spray out a mist with their index finger on the lever. And then let him go to town! May be more appropriate for outside play!


Sponge Splash

Another outside goodie. Give your toddler a bowl of water (unless you get bored with the spill it fight...then use his baby pool!) with a variety of sponges in it. Show him how to squeeze the water out of the sponge with his fingers. This is a great fine motor activity!


Tear It Up

No worries if your little one can't quite manage scissors...give him pieces of paper and teach him how to tear it up! Which is not just fun...it's fine motor fun!


Self Contained

Save your empty (washed of course) containers and lids. Keep these in a special box where your toddler can learn to match lids & containers. And if they're screw tops...even better!


Pinchy Pins

One of the great toddler fine motor activities! Take a medium square of corrugated cardboard (anybody have diaper boxes on hand?) and a few clothes pins. Show your little fine motor worker how to pinch the pins open to pull off of the cardboard. And how to pinch open to clip them back on.


Playdough Palooza

Playdough is a wonderful tactile activity for toddlers...although in my house it's mandatory outside play! If you have an oral-non-peanut-allergic-seeker in your home...try homemade dough. Use cookie cutters to create fun shapes and build those fine motor muscles!



If you've got a fine motor activity that your toddler loves...please share it in the comments section!



**All these ideas were plagerized from my local Early Intervention team...but hey they left the handout at my place. They're not innocent. They know I blog! ::wink::**

4 comments:

Dawson said...

Wonderful Ideas!! Thanks for sharing those

blogzilly said...

I have got to learn the difference between gross motor and fine motor...

JSmith5780 said...

Gross motor is big muscles... walking, running, jumping, skipping, throwing, etc.

Fine motor is small muscles... hand control, pinching, grasping, manipulating objects, etc.

Tactile/fine motor- shaving cream on a mirror, toast tongs to pick up beads, threading beads on a shoelace, squishy balls to work on hand strength (there are some with "hairs" on them so you get tactile too!), fingerpaints

If I think of more, I will come back.

Adesta said...

hahaha...in my house, we have water gun fights every summer. INDOORS! lol..of course it helps that all the floors are tile except the bedrooms, but the kids know those are off limits. We have so much fun!