Here is a list of 25 fine motor activities using ordinary household items. These activities are
great because they are incredibly simple and they cater to your little one’s desire for
repetition and I-can-do-it-myself. This keeps little hands and minds busy (that’s a win right
there) while also encouraging the development of fine motor skills needed for the preschool
years and beyond. Just be sure to supervise children when playing with small items that
could be choking hazards.
Specific fine motor skills encouraged in these activities include:

Pincer grasp: Pinching with thumb and index finger. More info and ideas about pincer
grasp HERE.

Finger isolation: Activating a single finger on command (such as the index finger for pointing
and pushing). More info and ideas about finer isolation HERE.

Thumb opposition: Coordinating the thumb with the other fingers to help with holding,
squeezing, and strengthening the space between thumb and index finger (known as the “web
space”). More info and ideas about thumb opposition HERE.

Tripod grasp: Pinching with thumb and index finger while resting the object on the middle
finger, much like you’d hold a pencil. More info and ideas about pencil grasp HERE, plus an
e-Book written by an OT that can be instantly downloaded with activities to strengthen fine
motor skills in kids ages 4-9, found HERE.

Hand-eye coordination: Coordinating hand movements based on what the eyes are seeing.
Also known as visual-motor integration. More info and ideas about hand-eye
coordination HERE.

Bilateral coordination: Coordinating the use of two hands to accomplish a task, such as
stabilizing an object with one hand while working with the other. More info and ideas about
bilateral coordination HERE, plus an e-Book written by an OT that can be instantly
downloaded with lots of bilateral coordination activities HERE.

Midline integration: Being able to come to and cross over the invisible line that separates the
left and right sides of the body. This contributes to the development of hand dominance. If
your child struggles with this, encourage midline crossing by placing desired items on the side
opposite the hand they are using so they have to reach across their body. More info and ideas
about midline crossing HERE.
Ready for our 25 fine motor activities using ordinary household items? Here we go!
1. Push pom poms into a plastic container. Use a water bottle with your young toddler (such
as in this post HERE), use an empty container with one or several holes cut out (such as in
this post HERE), or watch a video demo in this Facebook post HERE.
2. Drop marbles into a hole in the top of a plastic container. The weight and firm texture of the
marbles give more sensory feedback than pom poms. Encourage an open web space
between thumb and pointer by making an “O” with the fingers.
3. Place coins in the slit of a plastic container. You can use real coins or fake ones (the coins
from Connect Four work well, as pictured in this Mama OT Facebook post). Smaller coins
promote more refined grasp. Larger coins are less of a choking hazard. Your call. You can
use almost any type of container that is clean and empty — an old container of baby food,
cream cheese, margarine, salsa, Cool Whip…anything!
4. Pinch toothpicks and drop them in the holes of a spice container. Cinnamon containers are
the perfect size for toothpicks! Read more about this activity HERE.
5. Cut Q-tips in half and drop them in a Tic-Tac container. Keep this stashed in your purse or
diaper bag for times when you need to keep your little one occupied, like when you’re at a
restaurant or doctor’s office. It’s portable, quiet, and easy to do over and over again!
6. Pinch and place buttons in slits that have been cut at varying angles in the side of a snack
box. Vertically-oriented slits mimic the arm position used when practicing buttoning.
Diagonally-oriented slits encourage the beginning of forearm supination (turning the forearm
into a palms-up position). Horizontally-oriented slits take it a step further and mimic the
“thumbs up” position needed for higher level fine motor tasks such as cutting with scissors
and holding the paper with the helper hand.
7. Pour small items back and forth between containers. You can use dry rice, pasta, or even
pebbles from outside. These types of solid materials provide additional auditory feedback as
they go clink! clink! clink! from one container to the other.
8. Paint with sponge shapes. Cut up a kitchen sponge into whatever shapes you want, then
show your child how to dip them in paint and use them as stamps. This activity was shared
on the Mama OT Facebook page HERE a while back.
9. Push beads into play dough. Pretend you’re making cookies and the beads are chocolate
chips, or hide the beads in the play dough and search for hidden treasure as you exercise
those finger muscles! If you don’t have play dough, it’s super easy to make. My go-to recipe
that ingredients from the cupboard, takes 5 minutes to make, and can be found HERE
10. Make shapes in play dough with cookie cutters. It doesn’t matter if they match the season.
It’s okay to use pumpkin shapes and snowflakes in the spring, or hearts and bunny rabbits
in the summer. Flatten the dough, push down the shapes, and pinch to pull up out of the
dough. So much fine motor power!
11. Smash play dough with a potato smasher. Or, you know, smash some real potatoes. Or
bananas. Original post found on the Facebook page HERE.
12. Paint with pom poms. Read more about this activity HERE.
13. Make a play dough puzzle. Use whatever shapes you have around the house. Read more
about this activity HERE.
14. Squeeze chip clips onto the rim of a plastic container. Then take them off. Then put them
back on again. Then take them off. And so on and so forth. You’d be surprised at how time
consuming this activity can be! To really strengthen those little fingers and hands,
encourage your kiddo to squeeze and pinch with their fingertips, as opposed to squeezing
with their palm or the side of their thumb (as pictured below).
15. Transfer marbles or water beads between bowls. Use fingers for pinching or add in
spoons, tongs, or muffin tins! Read more about this activity HERE and watch a variation of it
on the Mama OT Facebook page HERE.
16. Put pipe cleaners in the holes of a colander. Another incredibly simple yet repetitive and
engaging activity! Read more about this activity HERE.
17. Put Cheerios on pipe cleaners. This is a great skill for older toddlers to start practicing,
and is safer for the little ones who still want to put real beads in their mouths. Shoelaces
work well too if you don’t have any pipe cleaners.
18. Stack beads on dry spaghetti. It can actually be pretty tricky to put the beads on without
breaking the noodles! Use Cheerios if you’re worried about your toddler or preschooler
putting small beads in their mouth (or stray beads bouncing to the floor and baby sibling
finding them later).
19. Drop pipe cleaners into a plastic container. Punch some holes in a plastic lid or, for
beginners, simply give them pipe cleaners and an empty water bottle or parmesan cheese
container to drop them in.
20. Bend a straw in half and use it as tongs for crumpled napkin bits. Especially useful when
trying to entertain your kids while waiting for your food at a restaurant.
21. Drop toothpicks through a straw. I have shared a video of this one in action on the
Facebook page HERE and have used it many a time while waiting for food with an antsy
toddler!
22. Paint with water. Paint outside on the ground, the walls, the tricycle! All you need is an
old paintbrush and a bowl, bucket, or cup of water. Shorter or thinner paintbrushes tend to
promote a more mature grasp.
23. Peel fruit. Did you ever think about this as a fine motor activity? It is! Those tiny
tangerines are perfect for chubby little hands. This one was shared on the Facebook
pageHERE as well.
24. Pour water from one container to another. This can be done inside during bath time (such
as in THIS POST), outside in a baby pool, or even while playing with a water table (read
more about why I love water tables HERE)!
25. Pull a scarf out of a baby wipes box. Or you can use a Kleenex box. Read more about this
activity HERE.