Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Put together a toddler water activity that is perfect for strengthening fine motor skills. All you need are basters and a container of water, and your kids will be kept busy for quite awhile!
Long before children can start writing, they need to first develop their pre-writing skills.
This means strengthening those muscles that will help them have the ability to hold a writing tool. One of my favorites is this toddler fine motor water activity that involves basters.
We introduce basters in our toddler class because the bulb fits nicely in their hands. We demonstrate how to squeeze and release the bulb, moving the water in and out of the baster. This takes great concentration but is such a great (and fun!) way to build those fine motor skills.
The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills
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What we used:
- Mini basters (we also used the small squeeze toy from this fine motor set)
- Pouring utensils
- Water in some sort of bin (we tinted our water with some liquid blue watercolor so it was more visible)
Introducing this activity:
Let them explore the water with the pouring utensils.
At first our toddlers used their hands to scoop and pour.
Then, the children will start becoming interested in the basters and droppers.
After modeling how to squeeze the bulb to suck in the water and then release the water, let them give it a try.
Once they get the hang of it, they want to do it over and over again.
Another plus to this activity is that it is very soothing, like all of our water table activities.
If you are a parent at home with a toddler, you can easily set this activity up in the bathtub.
As you can see here, the larger bulbs on the basters fit inside the palm of the hand, the fingers and thumb wrapping around it.
While these types of activities are building strength for future writing, toddlers are simply having fun exploring how water moves using basters.
More ideas to try:
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I know one summer fun – searching for “treasure” in a piece of ice. You will need any small items: shells, pebbles, beads, animal figurines, lollipops, etc. In order for objects to be evenly distributed in a piece of ice, they should be frozen in layers and selected for playing objects of different density (those that sink in water, and those that float on the surface). If you follow the instructions, you will get such a beautiful piece of ice with treasures. To extract the treasure the child can with the help of warm water, malleus, salt, toothbrush. It is also interesting to use tinted water to freeze treasures.
Thanks, Nick! That sounds like a great activity!
Hi! This Fall I will be working with 2 year olds after many years of being with 3 & 4 year olds. I really need help with everything the last teacher had a hard time with the class and I am hoping this new class will be alot more easier. I have a few thing in mind like a short circle time, lots of music, and sensory too. Please need examples of each so I can get started with a lesson plan.
Thanks.
Terri
Hi Terri! You will find my teacher resources here: https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/survival-guide-preschool-teachers/ There are specific posts for toddlers, too. Are you subscribed to my newsletter? I share a lot in those as well.