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Fine motor development is essential to everyday life in the future. When we talk about fine motor skills, we are talking about the ability to control and coordinate the movement of the small muscles of the hands, fingers, and eyes. They keep being developed over time as we experience and train them more. We show you a few of the best fine motor skills toys here but you should know that you can help with the development with things you already have at home, too.
A few everyday household items and things you can use to strengthen fine motor skills:
- Opening and closing boxes with lids
- Pouring liquid or sand from one cup into another
- Drawing with pencils
- Using scissors to cut out shapes
- Getting dressed – closing and opening buttons, zippers, or velcro
Below are our favorite toys we’ve seen popular among kids and parents that help further develop those skills.
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench
We LOVE this toy for young children! It is great for hand eye coordination and demonstrating cause and effect. When one peg goes down the one across that is connected goes up.
Melissa & Doug also is one of our go-to brands because no toy we ever bought from them has disappointed in quality.
Ages 2-4
Clamp Bee to Hive Matching Game
More hand-eye coordination with this toy! It also helps with color learning and matching. With the clamp, your child’s hand and finger strength get trained, too.
The wooden toy is super cute, good quality, and can also bee used for imaginative, open-ended play.
Ages 3-5
Scissor and Tape Activity Books Set
As we mentioned, the use of scissors is a great way of working on fine motor skills. The scissor skill book comes with safety scissors that can be used by preschoolers. The tape book can be reused as the tape comes off the pages again.
It takes time and focus but it is perfect for a travel day or when going somewhere where there isn’t much entertainment for kids.
Ages 4-7
Wooden Peg Board
It is a great open-ended toy that encourages hand-eye coordination! The rainbow-colored balls are fun and can be placed in so many patterns on the board.
If your child has trouble using the tweezers, they can use their fingers first.
Screwdriver Board Set
The screw and screwdriver board is really great if your child likes to do things they see you do as well. They can try and learn about how different screws work. It will keep your toddler occupied for a while and the board will last a long time! It is one of our favorite fine motor toys.
Ages 3+
Magnetic Worm Game
Using the mother bird to get the worms and feed them to the baby bird, this game is going to be a favorite for your little one. It is easy to use and one of the most loved fine motor skills toys out there.
Ages 2-4
Wooden Threading Toy
Build fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills with this toy! The sturdy montessori toy set is perfect for little hands helping the caterpillar through the apple and melon. The cheese block has a some different angles to put the thread through! Kids can create different patterns every time.
Sensory Busy Board
This sensory board is great for young toddlers and their little hands to keep them busy on a car ride or on a plane! Velcro, zippers, buttons. So many things to open, close and learn to use finger muscles.
It makes a great gift for families that travel a lot and while we’re at it help with fine motor skill development.
Trace Ace Scissor Skills Set
In this set, there are stencils and safety scissors for your child. Tracing and cutting both help improve fine motor skills while they can draw objects they probably wouldn’t be able to otherwise. They can also mix the different stencils to make their own landscape and whole image.
Ages 3+
Wooden Play Food
Does your child love to play kitchen/cooking? With these play foods, they can cut the foods and practice the hand movements to do so. There can be hours of imaginative play in the kitchen, restaurant, or supermarket with these.
Ages 3+
LCD Writing Tablet 10 Inch Doodle Board
Writing, drawing, or just using a pen can help develop fine motor skills. With this tablet you don’t have to waste paper, pens, or worry about a mess. It is simple and one of the best toys as a gift.
Ages 3+
