Fine Motor Manipulatives
Pin Drop – wide mouth bottle (Gatorade, p-nut butter jar), clothespins. Let child drop pins in jar and dump them out again.
Ring the tube – Canning jar rings, paper towel tube. Adult holds child and paper towel tube, child put rings on tube and off again
Nesting – Collect large laundry detergent lids and let child dump and fill a butter tub or try nesting them
Bean Bag – roll a pair of socks and put inside a third sock. Tie or stitch the top closed. Show the child how to drop or toss the bean bag into an open shoe box, butter tub or small container.
Puzzles – large knob puzzles are great for infants and toddlers
Surprise boxes or jack in the boxes are fun and good for fine motor
Hide a toy under a shoe box or towel for child to retrieve
Sit with child and play pat a cake
Sit with child and play finger games up and down arms and legs
Clank , Clank– empty pringle can with slit cut in plastic lid. Child can put poker chips or other flat pieces (frozen juice lids or baby food lids) through the slot. Makes great noise also. Baby wipes box can substitute for pringle can.
Stacking – collect small boxes, tape lid on with wide packing tape, sit with child and model stacking boxes
Ribbon pull – cut round hole in small butter tub lid, put lid on tub and poke a 2 foot long ribbon or scarf into the tub. Sit with the child as ribbon is pulled from container.
Scarf pull – put scarf through a paper towel tube and tie ends together. Child will have fun pulling the scarf.
Alphabet blocks – cut several square holes into a shoe box lid. Put lid on box and let child drop blocks through the holes into the box
Pour, pour, pour – corn meal, rice, coffee grounds, etc in a plastic dishpan or large food storage container. Let children scoop with a spoon into detergent lids, or play dishes.
Scrunchie Stringing – Older toddlers – provide a length of small gage tubing and hair scrunchies for stringing on to the tubing. Large gage yarn or shoe string can be used after child understands how to string!
