Fine motor activities are my favorite. Why? I love that they require focus, concentration, and determination to succeed… All great life lessons! I watched my 2 year old work so hard to build a bristle block (love these!) house and wondered if my ONE year old could also do some fine motor activities.
Yes, he can!
First I cut a slit in an old plastic toy tub. I gave him some big chunky buttons and he LOVED dropping them through the lid (he’s 15 months old).
Then we went on a roll. I gave him a styrofoam block (get the floral kind from the Dollar Tree because it’s fairly soft and easy to push through) and some old golf tees (aka: DULL!). He had to push them through. Big brother had already hammered in a ton but little brother had fun using the holes as a guide.
Old parmesan cheese containers or sugar shakers (this one is from Dollar Tree) are awesome tools to encourage hand-eye coordination. I gave my guy some bento picks to push through, but you could use toothpicks (obviously always supervise!!), popsicle sticks, or even pipe cleaners. He LOVED dropping them through.
I picked up this little wooden game at the Dollar Tree and it includes plastic tees to push through the holes. This one was HARD but he DID love pulling them out, which is also a fine motor focus!
So, even if your little one is young, see what you can do! You might be really surprised (and your tot will be totally entertained!).
Written by Jill
Uplifting Families Home Preschool
Wednesday 21st of May 2014
Great ideas and suggestions. I remember playing with foam when I was a child, i used to play with it when my mom wasn't looking because it was inside of some of her plants. It is funny the weird stuff that I remember.