Fine motor skills involve performing precise movements and manipulating small objects. In everyday life, this looks like the ability to hold utensils, brush teeth, write and draw, zip up clothes, fasten buttons, tie shoes, and more. Therefore, developing fine motor skills helps children become more adept at daily tasks, feel more confident, and - importantly - require less constant adult assistance. Furthermore, fine motor skills directly impact hand-eye coordination, speech, and cognitive development.
The best part is that there are countless activities and toys to help with fine motor skills, meaning these abilities can be developed through a wide variety of games. These activities are fun, engaging, and very popular with preschoolers. In addition, many fine motor toys can be homemade by parents or caregivers.
Types of toys for fine motor skills
Fine motor skills toys allow children to practice and refine their skills in a fun and engaging way. These toys aim to improve sensory experiences, which enhances fine motor development. At the same time, they prepare children for practical tasks, improving dexterity through activities like stacking, sorting, lacing, drawing, and sensory bin play. These toys encourage open-ended play, exploration, and experimentation, which positively affect finger dexterity and precision. Plus, fine motor toys captivate children, allowing them to learn while having fun and enjoying positive emotions.
Types of fine motor toys for toddlers
Fine motor toys for toddlers come in a variety of categories. Although it's impossible to cover all available options, here are a few popular types that provide noticeable benefits.
Building blocks and construction toys
These can include different kinds of construction sets that allow kids to experiment, hold small parts, and build structures.
Easels for drawing with chalk, paint, or pencils
Even infants can start playing with an easel by practicing finger painting. Later, around 1.5 to 2 years old, they can try painting with a brush. At this stage, don't expect masterpieces—it's more about learning to hold a brush and experimenting with different creative materials. Easels for the youngest users, like the Kids Tabletop Easel from Wood and Hearts, can be placed on a small table or even on the floor, allowing children to experiment and gradually improve their skills.
Creative materials
Fine motor toys for preschoolers include coloring, cutting out shapes, and sculpting. These activities strengthen finger muscles, improve dexterity, and encourage creativity. Cutting, in particular, is a beneficial activity that allows kids to refine complex movements and is better suited for older preschoolers. For younger children, air-dry clay or playdough is a great alternative. Kids can roll, shape, and sculpt the dough, which strengthens hand muscles and improves coordination.
Puzzles
These come in many forms—wooden, soft, or cardboard puzzles with pegs. Playing with puzzles mainly aims to help children manipulate small objects while engaging in a game that develops logical thinking, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills.
Lacing toys
Learning to tie shoelaces isn't as easy as it may seem to an adult. It requires coordinated actions and movements. Before moving on to practical tasks, let children practice with lacing toys. The goal is to thread a cord through prepared holes, allowing kids to “draw” pictures or complete existing ones.
Games with beads, tongs, and clothespins
For this type of game, you'll need more than just small details. To keep beads and other objects from scattering, prepare a work area with clear plastic containers for the items, or use a Sensory Table where such containers are built-in. Sensory tables also allow for experiments with materials like water, kinetic sand, and more. Encourage children to pick up small paper pieces or beads with tongs. This type of play improves dexterity and strengthens fingers.
Busy boards
These are very popular fine motor toys for preschoolers. Busy boards can include locks, zippers, switches, and many other practical elements. These boards capture a child's attention and help them become familiar with every day objects safely, positively influencing their dexterity and finger precision.
DIY fine motor toys
Many sensory and fine motor toys for toddlers can be made at home without extra expense. Plus, homemade toys can be personalized or even created with the child, turning the process of making a new game into playtime.
Interesting DIY fine motor toys
Here are some examples of easy-to-make fine motor toys at home:
Sensory containers or sensory jars
These toys stimulate touch and fine motor skills. You can fill plastic containers with different grains and turn them into musical instruments (for shaking). Or you can hide small toys in kinetic sand for kids to dig out. You can also offer sorting activities with large pasta, which helps develop color and shape recognition.
Sponge painting
Give your child a few small sponges and containers with different paints. The sponge can be dipped into the paint and used to create art on a thick piece of paper. If the sponges are of various shapes, the patterns will differ, offering endless opportunities for creativity.
Bead-stringing
Beads are very useful fine motor skills toys since they can be grasped, caught with tongs, and combined in various ways. Just make sure your child doesn't swallow them during play. Use sturdy wire and different-sized and colored beads, and invite your child to create an original necklace. This activity improves dexterity while also fostering concentration and artistic taste.
Creating collages
Collect interesting leaves, flowers, and twigs outdoors, then prepare glue and paper. Let your child create a picture using these natural materials. During the winter, replace leaves and flowers with colored paper, allowing the child to tear the paper into pieces of various sizes and assemble something like a mosaic.