Toys that Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are vitally important to writing. These little muscles work hard to help kids hold a pencil with a good grip as well as help them write legibly. Kids who have poor fine motor skills are often frustrated with writing, especially as they get up in age. Today, I’m sharing some toy ideas that kids will LOVE that also strengthen those fine motor muscles. These are all favorites in our home.

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**Please note that you know your child/students best. Please be aware of small parts that can become choking hazards and always supervise children when playing with these smaller pieces.

 

Toys for Younger Kids that Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

 

Mr. Potato Head is a favorite at our house. We also have several other sets that we’ve added to this one over they years. Games like Cootie also strengthen those muscles as well.

 

 

 

LEGO DUPLO blocks are another staple in our home. We have MANY sets mixed all together in one bin. We even have a few ideas we’ve shared using the DUPLO blocks including: LEGO Word Family Sorting, counting syllables, and LEGO Alphabet Sounds Matching Game.

 

 

All my little ones have loved puzzles. I keep my eye out for the ones that have the pegs because this requires kids pick the pieces up with their pincher fingers, great for fine motor muscles! {My tot currently enjoys the fish one pictured above.}

 

 

There is seldom a day that goes by that we don’t pull out our playdough! We have a TON of the store-bought dough, but we do on occasion make our own {our recipe and fun activity found here.} We also have a lot of playdough mats, including our Alphabet Playdough Mats, Fall/Thanksgiving Playdough Mats, Winter/Christmas Playdough Mats, Spring/Easter Playdough Mats & Summer Playdough Mats, with MORE coming! 🙂

 

 

 

I knew these as Bristle Blocks when I was a child, but we have the Stackadoos in our home. They definitely make kids think creatively when connecting them, but my kids love them.

 

 

Both my girls and boys have enjoyed lacing beads. These, by Melissa & Doug, are fun for making necklaces or a leash for your favorite stuffed animal. We love using ours to work on making patterns as well.

 

 

All of my kids love our Honey Bee Tree game. Not only does playing the game strengthen those fine motor muscles, but so does setting it up! We also enjoy Let’s Go Fishin’, Memory Match, and Hi Ho Cherry-O.

 

 

My 4 year old daughter {MBug} loves to make me food in our pretend kitchen. She enjoys making me some odd combinations. The pretend food that has to be cut up is a great way to sneak in some fine motor muscle work, too!

 

 

Toys for Older Kids that Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

 

 

My kiddos LOVE our Pop-Arty! beads. Seriously. Setting boundaries on how far these little things can travel is a good thing as you don’t want to step on one of these in the middle of the night {ask me how I know.} They are TERRIFIC for strengthening those find motor muscles because they aren’t too easy to pop together.

 

 

Games like Battleship are a GREAT way to sneak in that fine motor work because it requires kids to track their strategy with little pegs. I remember enjoying this game as a little girl and I still enjoy playing it with my own kids.

 

 

There are a TON of marble runs out there. We have two of them (a wooden one and Imaginarium’s plastic one). I highly recommend both of the ones we have and they aren’t too expensive either. They are a creative way for kids to play, exploring the basics of physics, and strengthening those fine motor muscles at the same time.

 

 

LEGO bricks. These are oh, so fun. My 3rd grader would sit all day and build with his if I let him. We started with the basic set, like the one pictured above, and have since added a lot more sets to our collection. I also “borrowed” a few of his to make a fun activity that we still use to build spelling words. If you have a LEGO lover, you may also enjoy our post, 18 Ways to Use LEGO Bricks to Promote Literacy.

 

 

This is another one that I enjoyed as a child. My grandmother had it in her home and every time we’d go visit, I’d sit for hours and make all kinds of cards and pictures. The last time we visited her, she gave me the kit and my kids have enjoyed it ever since. I was super surprised to find this Spirograph Kit in the stores last year!

 

 

If you have one that likes to dress up dolls, then this magnetic kit from Melissa & Doug is sure to be a hit! Some of the pieces, like the shoes are tiny, and promote the pincher grab.

 

 

This one make a SUPER stocking stuffer because it fits right down in there. 🙂 Our Pick Up Sticks get pulled out quite a bit and requires a steady hand and some fine motor skills!

 

 

 

Puzzles have always been a favorite of my family, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s always a puzzle sitting out that needs working. Recently, we bought a 1,000 piece puzzle. I was shocked at how well the older two boys (ages 6 & 9) sat and worked it over a few days. The tiny pieces are great for fine motor muscles.

 

 

Zoobs require kids to snap pieces into place to build objects. Kids can get super creative with these sets, too! Last year, our oldest son got the Zoobs Mover Kit for Christmas. He has enjoyed it all year.

 

 

Suspend takes your basic game of Pick Up Sticks to a whole new level—3D! My boys in particular love Suspend (though it MUST be played during rest time to prevent little hands from ruining the game.) There’s also Junior Suspend for the younger crowd.

 

More Gift Ideas for Kids

• ABC Toys
• Pre-Readers & Pre-Writers
• Our Ultimate List of Favorite Books
• Gift Ideas: No Batteries Required

 

Follow This Reading Mama’s board Educational Toys on Pinterest.

 

 

~Becky