• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Printables Terms of Use
  • Subscribe!
  • Printables
    • Free Printables
    • Circle Time Printable Packets
    • Winter Printable Packs
    • Spring Printable Packets
    • Themed Printable Packets
    • Fine Motor Printable Packets
    • Dramatic Play Printable Packs
    • Literacy and Story Time Printable Packets
    • Color Recognition Printable Packets
    • Preschool Bilingual English Spanish Printables
    • Classroom Organization Printables
    • Fall Printable Packets
  • Preschool
  • Toddlers
  • Lesson Plans
    • Preschool Lesson Plans
    • Toddler Lesson Plans
You are here: Home / Toddlers / The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

This post might contain affiliate links. Click here for more information. Thanks for visiting!

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

May 20, 2018 by Sheryl Cooper

Share
Pin
Tweet

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.

toddler water activity

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

CLICK HERE to find over 25 more toddler fine motor activities!

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.

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills
The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

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.

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

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.

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

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.

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

While these types of activities are building strength for future writing, toddlers are simply having fun exploring how water moves using basters.

The Easiest Toddler Water Activity that Strengthens Fine Motor Skills

More ideas to try:

  • Triangle Playdough Activity
  • Colorful Window Art
  • Rainbow Necklace
toddler water activity

FREE CIRCLE TIME PLANNER!

Get your FREE circle time planner as a gift when you subscribe to my free weekly newsletters.

Here is my Privacy Policy

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit
Share
Pin
Tweet

Filed Under: Fine Motor, Sensory Bins, Toddler Fine Motor, Toddlers Tagged With: fine motor, toddlers

About Sheryl Cooper

Sheryl Cooper is the founder of Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, a website full of activities for toddlers and preschoolers. She has been teaching this age group for over 25 years and loves to share her passion with teachers, parents, grandparents, and anyone with young children in their lives.

Previous Post: « How to Put Together an Ocean Activity in a Discovery Bottle
Next Post: Super Simple Toddler Ocean Sensory Bin »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nick Kelker

    June 11, 2018 at 7:19 am

    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.

    • Sheryl Cooper

      June 11, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Thanks, Nick! That sounds like a great activity!

  2. Terri Barden

    July 2, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    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

    • Sheryl Cooper

      July 2, 2018 at 11:06 pm

      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.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Looking for something specific?

Categories

Welcome! I'm Sheryl Cooper, teacher of 2 and 3 year olds for over 22 years. Read more about me here!

More Printables!

preschool printables

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds is a participant in Amazon Associates.

preschool printables

preschool printables

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds Privacy Policy Web Hosting by Servously