There should really be at least a few creative fine motor activities on your list of activities for preschoolers at home and at school. So, I’ve made a list of some fine motor fun for you all to check out. Be sure to let us know which ones you’re looking forward to trying in the comments at the bottom of this post.
As always, I love checking out all of the great ideas linked up to Share It Saturday! Last week was no exception. I was especially intrigued by the creative fine motor activities that were shared. In terms of early education, fine motor skills focus on children using their fingers and hands in small, precise ways. This allows them to strengthen their hands and fingers, which leads to better control when learning to write.
As a preschool teacher, I am ALWAYS looking for new and fun ways to get the kiddos practicing their fine motor skills. I was so excited to find the following ideas (which I will definitely be trying out in my classroom in the next few months):
Moms Have Questions Too’s DIY Montessory Moveable Alphabet allows children to put their fine motor skills to work as they’re creating words, alphabetizing, and identifying letters. The homemade alphabet is wonderfully cute and useful!
Suzy Homeschooler’s Mini Water Wall and Other Fine Motor Water Play gets those little muscles moving while letting kids play with one of their favorite materials . . . water. I just LOVE how she created (and used) the mini water wall!!
School Time Snippets’ Kandinsky Inspired Felt Button Board is both beautiful and functional. Children practice fine motor skills using buttons to create their very own changeable artwork.
Sugar Aunts’ Color Sorting with Dyed Pumpkin Seeds lets the little ones use their pincer grasp to transfer the seeds into the appropriate container. A fun fall activity I know my preschoolers will enjoy!
The House of Hendrix’s A Tree of Gratitude combines hand print art, thankfulness, and fine motor skills in one gorgeous project! Small hand movements are needed when creating the grateful words for this tree. While especially meaningful for Thanksgiving, I think this would be suitable year round!
There’s Just One Mommy’s Teaching Buttoning Skills lets children practice real-life fine motor skills in a colorful, playful way. Kids are often so focused on learning to do things on their own, which is something I wholeheartedly encourage! This activity lets them do just that at their own pace!
Craftulate’s Clothespin Letter Match Busy Bag combines letter identification and fine motor skills in one on-the-go bag! I can see my students using this in their alphabet and reading centers during quiet choices.
Stir the Wonder’s Everyday Fine Motor Activities shows how children can strengthen the small muscles in their hands doing everyday tasks. I loved how she points this out! Meaningful work is an important part of learning and growing.
Racheous’ Bath Time Fine Motor Activities has some awesomely FUN ideas! I love how she uses household objects in new ways!
Racheous also shares some wonderful DIY Montessori Fine Motor Activities that are no/low cost. It’s always helpful to have some of these activities on-hand with younger children.
One of our recent activities in preschool was Weaving with Feathers. It was a fun and colorful way for the kiddos to improve their fine motor skills.
If you’re looking for more fine motor ideas, check out 20 Fine Motor Activities for Kids and my Fine Motor Pinterest board.
Here’s the Share It Saturday Button for those of you who link up:
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For those who were featured, feel free to grab a button just for you:
<div align="center"><a href="https://fun-a-day.com" title="Fun-A-Day!" target="_blank"><img src="https://fun-a-day.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/sis-4.png" alt="Fun-A-Day!" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
Be sure to check out my fellow hostesses and see what they’re featuring this week!
Fine Motor Materials and Tools
With all of these wonderful activities in your back pocket, you’ll definitely need some great tools to use. Here are my suggestions (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Beads
- Lacing cards
- Legos
- Pegboards
- Play-doh
- Scissors
- Puzzles
- Wooden blocks
- Drawing and painting tools
- Small objects, like mini erasers or pompoms
Done-for-You Preschool Resources
Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!
Preschool Teacher 101 has created some amazing lesson plans, activity packs, and other resources made especially for preschool teachers. Click on the images below to learn more about our fine motor series geared towards building the letters of the alphabet!
Join The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101 today for exclusive access to our amazing products. And we even have three different membership options to suit your needs!
What a list of great fine motor activities! Thanks for including us!
Thanks, Samantha! I loved the focus on everyday tasks in relation to fine motor skills. 🙂
Thanks for featuring our Montessori alphabet! I’m sure your students willove using it!
Oh, Kirstylee, I know my students are going to have a blast with your alphabet! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. 🙂