Fine Motor Skills Toys for Toddlers & Preschoolers To Help Development
Learn about fine motor skills toys for your toddler & preschooler to help them grow and develop.
Fine motor skills are an important part of early childhood development, and toys can play a big role in helping children practice these skills.
From puzzles to blocks, playdough to clay, there are many different types of toys that assist with developing fine motor skills like coordination, dexterity, problem solving and hand-eye coordination.
It is crucial to choose age-appropriate toys that are safe for your child while also providing the opportunity to learn and grow their confidence.
In this article we will discuss why it is important to invest in quality fine motor skill toys for toddlers and preschoolers as well as provide tips on how to do so safely!
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Importance of Fine Motor Skills for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Fine motor skills are important for toddlers and preschoolers. They help with things like using their fingers to pick up small objects, drawing pictures, and writing letters. You need special toys to help them practice these skills. It is important to choose the right toy for each skill, like puzzles or blocks for coordination, playdough for squeezing and rolling, etc. Be sure to buy quality toys that are safe and age-appropriate so your child can learn while having fun!
Guidance on Safety when using Fine Motor Skills Toys with Toddlers and Preschoolers
When it comes to safety when using fine motor skills toys with toddlers and preschoolers, there are a few key points to keep in mind. First, the toys should be appropriate for the age of the child. Some activities or toys may use small parts that could be a choking hazard for young children. Additionally, make sure all pieces are securely attached before playing with the toy. Finally, supervise young children when using toys so that they are safe and you can help them learn along the way.
It is important to note to find toys that don't have too small of pieces that could pose as choking hazards. So please use your judgement when deciding what toys to buy for your child. Make sure to supervise so they don't put the small pieces in their mouth.
Investing in quality, age-appropriate fine motor skills toys for your child is an important part of supporting their development. By choosing the right toys, doing activities together to practice these skills, and following safety precautions, you can help your toddler or preschooler build the fine motor skills that will be essential for their future success.
Fine Motor Skills you Child Can Learn from the Toys
- eye-hand coordination
- pincer grasp
- tripod grasp
- separation of the sides of the hand
- helps with learning to hold a pencil and crayon
- opposition
- wrist extension
- pinch strength and hand strength
- intrinsic muscle hand strengthening
Benefits of Fine Motor Skills for Early Childhood:
There are many benefits to working on fine motor skills in early childhood.
- Improved coordination and dexterity
- Increased ability to draw, write, and manipulate objects with precision
- Enhanced problem solving skills
- Development of concentration and focus
- Improved hand eye coordination
- Boosted self confidence in their abilities
- Enhanced creative thinking and imagination
- increased independence with self help and self care skills
Fine Motor Skills Toys that are Engaging and Fun
I have put together a list of some of the best fine motor skills toys you can have to play with your toddler and preschooler to help them learn a variety of fine motor skills. We love playing with all of these toys!
Lego Toys for Fine Motor Skills
Lego toys are an excellent option for fine motor skill development in toddlers and preschoolers! They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, making them fun and engaging for children. Additionally, they can be used to create more complex structures that require precision, problem solving skills and hand-eye coordination. Building with Lego blocks gives children the opportunity to practice their fine motor skills as they complete tasks and create new structures.
If you are worried about the small size of the classic lego blocks, they also make larger Duplo blocks that work great for both toddlers and preschoolers.
Playdough
Playdough is such a fun material to use with toddlers and preschoolers to help them with playing, learning, and development! Playdough activities can be fun sensory experiences with the way that it squishes through your hands as you manipulate it into different shapes!
Playdough can be a great way to help your child learn letters, numbers, and shapes!
Playdough is another great fine motor skill toy for toddlers and preschoolers. Squeezing and rolling the playdough helps children develop their hand muscles which are needed for writing and drawing later in life. Additionally, playdough encourages problem solving skills by creating shapes and structures as well as fostering imagination and creativity. Learn more about the benefits of playdough here!
Benefits of playing with Playdough for Fine Motor Skills:
- – Improves hand-eye coordination
- – Enhances dexterity and precision in manipulating objects
- – Strengthens the muscles used for writing and drawing
- – Develops problem solving skills by creating shapes and structures
- – Increases concentration and focus through creative play
- – Fosters creativity and imagination
Here are some great Playdough toys and tools you can use to help develop fine motor skills.
Playdough Mats to Help Develop Fine Motor Skills
You can check out these free playdough mats to help your child develop fine motor skills while playing with these fun and hands on activities.
Dinosaur Playdough Mats to Learn and Develop Fine Motor Skills
Fun and Simple Playdough Faces Activity to Teach Kids Emotions
Number Playdough Mats to Help Teach in a Fun Way
Shape Playdough Mats for Preschoolers who Love to Play with Cars
Get your free Playdough Faces Activity to Help Children Learn to Identify Emotions
Get your free playdough face mats to help your child identify feelings and body parts. They will also develop their fine motor skills. Just enter your email address below.
Fine Motor Hedgehog Toy
We have loved playing with this fine motor hedgehog toy at our house. My daughter loved taking his spikes in and out of his back. It was so fun to see her face light up when she could do this at a young age.
You will be able to:
- Build fine motor skills with chunky, peg-shaped pieces that fit to the back of this friendly hedgehog. Also use Spike as for occupational therapy exercises.
- Build on Development: Colorful quills help kids build color recognition, sorting, and counting skills through fine motor skill games. Spike is also a great toy for visually impaired children.
- Easy Storage: When playtime over the quills easily fit in the Hedgehog
Get the Fine Motor Hedgehog Toy Here
Piggy Bank Toy
Both of my kids loved this piggy bank toy as a one year old. They loved being able to build their confidence with placing the large coins inside the pig and then hearing him sing and shake or dance.
Crack the Eggs Toys
We loved the different things we could do with this crack the egg toy! We loved to pretend to cook the eggs in the pretend kitchen, match the colors, learn the different emotions and make the different emotions on our faces, and matching the shapes on the bottom of the eggs to put inside the egg carton. I love having versatile and open ended toys that you can use in a variety of ways! We loved playing with these eggs and the challenge of putt ing the eggs back together to develop their fine motor skills at a young age.
Get the Crack the Eggs Toy Here
Shape Sorting Toys
Shape sorting toys are a great way to help toddlers and preschoolers develop essential fine motor skills. These toys involve the use of different shapes and materials such as wood, plastic, foam and fabric that can be sorted into the corresponding holes on a board or container. Shape sorting helps children practice hand-eye coordination and dexterity as they learn to manipulate the pieces and place them in their proper spot. Additionally, shape sorting toys allow children to practice problem solving skills as they figure out which piece fits in each spot.
Threading Beads
Threading beads is an excellent way to help with fine motor skills. Threading different sizes and shapes of beads onto a string, wire or pipe cleaner encourages children to manipulate small objects and use their finger muscles to grip them. This activity also helps children practice hand-eye coordination as they move the bead from one side of the string to the other. You can get large wooden beads with a wooden dowel for younger kids and smaller beads with string for older children.
Lacing Cards
Lacing cards are a great way for toddlers and preschoolers to develop fine motor skills. They can be colorful cards with holes that can be laced together with string, ribbon or yarn. The cards come in various shapes, sizes and designs, providing children with the opportunity to practice coordination, dexterity and hand-eye coordination as they connect the different pieces.
Wooden Blocks
Wooden blocks are an excellent option for fine motor skill development in toddlers and preschoolers! Wooden blocks come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, making them fun and engaging for children and allowing for imaginative play. Building with wooden blocks requires precision and problem solving skills, as well as physical dexterity to manipulate the pieces. Additionally, wooden block building gives children the opportunity to practice their fine motor skills as they complete tasks and create new structures.
Loose Parts Play
Loose parts play is a type of play that involves giving children access to a variety of different materials such as paper, fabric, wood, sand, rocks, sticks, etc. This type of play encourages problem solving skills as well as physical dexterity and hand-eye coordination. With these materials, children can use their imagination and creativity to create shapes and structures, allowing them to practice their fine motor skills while engaging in creative play. Additionally, loose parts play helps foster a sense of curiosity and exploration by allowing children the opportunity to explore materials they might not otherwise have access to. You can check out these rainbow colored loose parts play materials here.
Peg Boards
Peg board toys are another great tool for developing fine motor skills in toddlers and preschoolers. These toys consist of a board with several pegs that can be used to create patterns, designs and shapes. Peg boards help children practice hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, visual perception and fine motor dexterity as they work to manipulate the pieces. Additionally, peg board toys come in different sizes and designs, allowing children to choose the difficulty level of the task.
Scissors
Scissor skills are an essential element for the development of fine motor skills in toddlers and preschoolers. By using scissors, children can practice hand-eye coordination and dexterity as they learn to manipulate the tool and use it to accurately cut through paper. Additionally, scissor tasks are also beneficial for developing problem-solving skills because children must consider the size, shape and orientation of each piece before they start cutting.
Cutting playdough with scissors is another great idea to work on fine motor development. Learn more about the benefits of scissors skills for children here.
Puzzles
Another great option for developing fine motor skills is puzzles! Puzzles come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of complexity. As a child progresses from simple puzzles to more complex designs, he or she will be challenged to use problem-solving skills and more precise hand-eye coordination. Additionally, puzzles provide a sense of accomplishment as the pieces come together to form a bigger picture.
Drawing and Painting Toys
Drawing and painting are great activities for fine motor skill development in toddlers and preschoolers. Drawing and painting require precision and coordination as children use their hands to manipulate the tools to create shapes, designs, and images. Additionally, these activities help foster creativity as children explore different colors and textures while working with the materials.
Drawing and painting are activities that require precision and dexterity as children learn to manipulate the tools in order to create shapes, designs, and images. Drawing and painting help foster creativity as children explore color and texture while learning to control their hands in order to achieve the desired result. Additionally, these activities are beneficial for fine motor skill development because they involve hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, and visual-motor coordination.
Children can paint with a variety of items such as:
- paintbrushes
- feathers
- q-tips
- salt painting
- finger painting
- frozen ice paint
- puffy paint
- bath paints
- make foam soap paint
- paint with clothes pins and pom moms
- chalk paint
- shaving cream paint
- blow the paint with a straw
- forks to paint
- roll a ball in the paint
- paint with flowers or sticks
- bubble wrap painting
Q-Tip Painting
Q-Tip painting is a great activity for children to practice their fine motor skills while also fostering creativity and exploration. Through the use of small, cotton swabs known as Q-Tips, children can manipulate the material in order to create shapes, patterns and textures. This type of art activity encourages problem solving skills as children figure out how to achieve the desired outcome with the materials at hand. Additionally, Q-Tip painting is great for developing fine motor dexterity as children learn to control their hands in order to accurately paint and create patterns.
Why it is Important to Invest in Fine Motor Skills Toys
It is important to buy quality, age-appropriate fine motor skill toys for your child. These toys help them practice skills like using their fingers to pick up small objects and drawing pictures.
Toys can also be fun activities that help with coordination, squeezing, rolling, lacing beads, and playing with playdough. Adults should supervise young children when they play with these toys so they are safe and you can help them learn too!
Additional Fine Motor Resources for You
Playdough Mats to Help your Child Learn and Develop Fine Motor Skills
Benefits of Playdough to Help your Toddler & Preschooler Develop Fine Motor Skills
Benefits of Scissor Cutting for Preschoolers and Fun and Easy Cutting Activities