Fine Motor Skills Activities for Kids: Parent's Guide

How to use this worksheet

Read through the activity suggestions in the guide together and choose one or two to try in a session, rather than attempting all of them at once. Set up the chosen activity with the listed materials, like a shallow tray of rainbow rice for scooping and pouring, or a soft cloth over a hard board for tracing textures with a finger. Guide your child through the activity, narrating what their fingers are doing, and repeat favorite activities across several days for the best fine motor benefit.

Materials needed

• Grains or rainbow rice
• Flowers
• Soft cloth and hard board
• Sugar and salt
• Salt box

Extension activities

• 1Create a sensory bin with different textures, like dried beans, pasta, and pom-poms, for open-ended scooping and sorting.
• 2Have your child practice picking up small objects, like peas or beads, using just their thumb and first finger.
• 3Let your child help knead dough or squeeze a sponge in water to build hand and finger strength.
• 4Practice threading large beads onto a shoelace or pipe cleaner for pincer grip development.