How to Build Fine Motor Skills Development Using Household Utensils

Inside: Utilize your household utensils to to build fine motor skills development using this compilation of activities. Great busy activities for toddlers and preschoolers!

Providing great learning opportunities for toddlers doesn’t always require purchasing brand new toys and supplies.

In fact, you can create some amazing hands-on experiences with the materials that are already around you.

Tongs, basters, measuring cups, and items from around the house can be utilized for great fine motor activities.

These activities for building fine motor skills using household utensils will inspire your creative outlook on how to utilize items already in your possession for toddler skill-building!

Building Fine Motor Skills Using Household Utensils

Painting with Utensils – Add assorted kitchen utensils to trays of paint for easy and fun process art.

Squeezing Water with Turkey Basters – Include various sizes of turkey basters with your water table for toddlers to strengthen their squeezing muscles.

Mixing Colors with a Salad Spinner – Add paper and various colors of paint to an old salad spinner and have preschoolers spin the handle to mix the colors.

Citrus Squeezer for Playdough – Add a citrus squeezer to your playdough table to build handle muscles.

Stacking Blocks with Tongs – Provide some small tongs for preschoolers to grasp blocks with, attempting to line up and stack the blocks. (Planning Playtime)

Peeling Tape – Lay some painter’s tape down on a flat surface for toddlers to peel off, practicing their pincer grasp. (Hands On As We Grow)

Colander Threading – Thread various items, such as the stems of fake flowers, through the holes of an upside-down colander. (No Time for Flash Cards)

Clothespin Grasping – Clip clothespins onto a wire basket for toddlers to pinch and unclip. (School Time Snippets)

Pom-pom Whisk – Fill the inside of a whisk with pom-poms for toddlers to grasp and remove. (Hello, Wonderful)

Squeezing Sponges – Add large sponges to your water table for preschoolers to squeeze water out of. (Things to Share and Remember)

Ice Tray Transfer – Provide ice trays to scoop various items into, such as pom-poms and buttons. (The Imagination Tree)

Pouring Station – Gather up a collection of measuring cups and other pouring devices for toddlers to practice their precise pouring skills. (Busy Toddler)

Cooling Rack Weaving – Toddlers will weave pipe cleaners back and forth through cooling racks. (JDaniel4’s Mom)

More fine motor activities:

25 Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities

Squeezing Watercolors for Fine Motor Fun

Favorite Fine Motor Toys