Fine Motor Skills.  So easy for some and so hard for others.  Does your child crawl under the table when his preschool teacher asks him to use scissors or a pencil?  Is his pincer grasp getting him down? Never fear!  Each of these toys and games were chosen because they have the wonderful ability to be fun AND target fine motor skills. Perfect for the holidays.   Take a look!

Learning Resources Super Sorting Pie   Ages 3-7 years   $19.00

This is for real fun.  I use it in my classroom all the time and everyone loves it.  Check out my review here.  The quality of Learning Resources toys is amazing.

Tegu Magnetic Wooden Block Set – 42 Piece  Ages 12 months+  $110.00

What’s not to love about Tegu blocks?  They encourage creative thinking and are a wonderful fine motor toy.  Oh, and the company also supports an entire town in Honduras.  No big deal.  If the price tag scares you, there are smaller sets available.  Click through our link to check them out.

Learning Resources Froggy Feeding Fun  Ages 3-6 years   $15.00

Use your fingers and hands to feed the hungry frogs.  Oh, and you can also work on numbers, counting and colors.  A perfect way to spend time together – learning AND having fun!  

Learning Resources Avalanche Fruit Stand     Ages 3+ years  $18.00
Can you tell I love Learning Resources?  This great game is actually endorsed by occupational therapists.  The reason?  It promotes the all important pincer grasp.  Use the the big tweezers to pick or place fruit in the fruit stand.  Also targets color recognition and counting.

Educational Insights The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game  Ages 3-7 years  $15.00

Another favorite of occupational therapists, this game requires players to feed their forest pals using squirrel squeezers.  The first one to collect five acorns wins!  Also targets color matching and basic strategy.

My Little Sandbox – Big Builder  Ages 4-7 years  $24.00

This is basically a tiny sandbox that has everything you need for fun.  The one above has a building theme but there are many other themes to choose from – mermaids, kitties, pirates, and fairies to name a few.  This is a toy that will capture a child’s attention for a long time.  The tiny shovels and rakes are perfect for developing fine motor control.  Check out our review here.

Plan Toys Beehive   Ages 3-13 years  $25.00

Plan Toys makes beautiful wooden toys.  This is a color matching game that also encourages the use of wooden tongs.  Of course, you can also use your fingers and dumping the bees out is fun too!

Plan Toys Assorted Fruits and Vegetables  Ages 3-10 years.  $20.00

Kids can’t get enough of slicing fruit.  We like the Plan Toys version but there are also good sets by Hape and Melissa and Doug.

Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Verdie Chameleon Bubble Blower  Ages 3-5 years  $25.00

Oral motor skills are often overlooked and can be closely linked to speech and eating issues.  Strengthen your child’s pucker with this fun bubble set.

Educational Insights Design and Drill Activity Center  Ages 3-6 years $27.00

My students go bananas for this toy.  It encourages fine motor skills, as well as motor planning.  With or without the templates, it is awesome fun and surprisingly easy for little hands to manipulate.

Lite Brite Magic Screen  Ages 4+  $37.00
Finally, kickin it old school, a favorite since the 70’s, Lite Brite!  This is an amazing toy when it comes to fine motor development and it is plain old fun.  The templates are updated – no more Space Invaders or fish tank, although I’ve heard you can obtain the old templates online.

Happy Holidays!  And To All a Good Pincer Grasp!

Let Them Fly!