Activities That Promote Fine Motor Skills in Toddlers

Toddlers don't think about improving their fine motor skills. They just enjoy staying active and having fun. While they giggle with glee, moms and dads have to create and encourage activities that will help their little ones develop and strengthen their hand muscles and hand-eye coordination. And the good news is there are lots of fun ways to do so.

One of the best ways to strengthen a toddler's grasp and release skills is to let her use her little hands to play with squirt bottles or medicine droppers, says Kai-lee Berke, vice president of curriculum and assessment for Teaching Strategies, an educational publishing company based in Bethesda, Md. Squirt or spray bottles can be used to water plants, and medicine droppers can be part of watercolor painting and other crafts, Berke says.

Finger movement is crucial and can be strengthened with finger painting, playing "Where Is Thumbkin" and simply pointing to pictures in a book, Berke says. "These activities encourage them to move their fingers individually." Crafts in general — anything involving paper, markers, large crayons and water and acrylic paint — improve digital dexterity, says Boston-based Jen Meyers, co-author of "Raising Your Child: The Complete Illustrated Guide."

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Hand-eye coordination can be improved by stringing large beads on pipe cleaners, picking up soft objects with tongs, and folding paper, Berke says. "Remember to allow plenty of time for children to explore materials and complete tasks at their own pace," says Berke, who also co-authored "The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers & Twos." Using safety scissors, drawing, tracing, playing with blocks, building sand castles and even dressing dolls are also fun and effective activities, Meyers says.

Playing with simple puzzles, the wooden ones with large pieces and knobs, are a great way to fine-tune toddlers' fine motor skills, Meyers says. "Squeezing soft bath toys and balls works too," she says. To inspire the use of two hands, Berke suggests letting tots "use a peg board toy, tear paper, open and close empty containers and use wind-up toys."

Sometimes improving fine motor skills can be achieved when toddlers are just keeping themselves tidy and comfortable. "Take advantage of self-care activities throughout the day to support fine-motor skills — like hand washing, crumbling up a napkin and dropping it in a trashcan or taking off socks," Berke suggests.

Large wooden blocks are some of the best toys moms and dads can buy because they're fun, functional and educational. Brightly colored blocks can be used to help teach toddlers various hues and help them develop fine motor skills, Berke and Meyers say. Just make sure you give your toddler enough creative space. "Build with your child but also give him the time to build on his own," Meyers says.

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Who would've thought that bubbles could help improve fine motor skills? But they do. Blowing bubbles can help a tot refine her motor and oral skills and hand-eye coordination, Meyers says. And the fun and benefit is not just in blowing bubbles but popping them, too.

Playing with clay is a fun way to help little ones improve and strengthen their grasp and release skills, Berke says.

So is playing with wooden and plastic clothespins and using a hole punch with adult assistance, she adds. Stickers help toddlers sharpen their hand-eye coordination, and Meyers recommends using them in various paper crafts and activity books.