STRENGTHEN FINE MOTOR SKILLS WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

If you’re looking for ways to help strengthen your child’s fine motor skills (those little muscles in their hands, fingers and wrists) and not quite sure where to start? I have good news for you! I bet you have most of these items laying around your house and you can get started today! 

For today's Tot School Tip Tuesday video I am sharing ways to use household items to help strengthen your child's fine motor skills.

Click the photo below to watch. Be sure to subscribe while you are there for new Tot School Tips every Tuesday and weekly Themes every Friday! 

Here are the items I talked about in my video {please know that these are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I make a small commission when you click through a link}.

From the Kitchen:
Kitchen Tongs - they can use tongs to pick up blocks or legos and sort by color

Turkey Baster - they can use this to blow a feather or piece of paper across a table or countertop 

Toothpicks & Empty Spice Container - let them stick toothpicks into play dough or the top of an empty spice container

Chip Clips - they can clip these along the top of an empty container 

Measuring Cups & Spoons - let them scoop and pour dried pasta or water 

Funnel - they will love pouring beans down the funnel (let them hold the funnel with one hand and add beans with the other)

Squirt Bottle/Spray Bottle - use sidewalk chalk to make shapes or letters. They use the spray bottle to erase them!

Cookie Cutters – they can use these in play dough or add some paint to a dish and they can make prints on paper

From the Bathroom:
Tweezers - let them use tweezers to pick up pieces of pasta or dried beans and place them in an empty container 

Eye Dropper - they can use this to transfer colored water to a muffin tin

Medicine Dispenser (syringe) - let them pull up colored water or watered down paint and then slowly press out the liquid and paint a picture on construction paper.

From the Office:

Clothespins - paint them different colors and let them sort by color on to a piece of cardboard with colored circles. You can also write numbers on them and they match to the amount of dots on a piece of cardboard. 

Hole Puncher - prepare a piece of construction paper with letters or numbers around the edge. Tell them they are a caterpillar and they have to munch the letters/numbers.

Stapler - give them a piece of construction paper or card stock and let them add staples

Rubber Bands - set out a few cans of food and let them add and remove the rubber bands. They can also add them to the bottom of a muffin tin

I hope this list has encouraged you to look a little differently at your ordinary household items and see the potential for some fine motor fun!  

Thanks for stopping by!