Where I Aut-a Be

Teaching tips, ideas, and resources for Special Education

Fine Motor Activities For The Classroom

Before we get into some fine motor activities for kids, let it be known that I had the pleasure of working with the best occupational therapist in our entire district. No other coworker compared to her! She would always come into my classroom with amazing ideas on how to help each student make progress and thrive while keeping in mind their unique sensory needs. Many of these ideas came from her. I am simply sharing them with you today in hopes that her ideas and influence can make it into other classrooms too.

image featuring fine motor activity connect four mini game

Mini Connect Four

This mini Connect Four from Amazon has been a favorite lately! The game chips on the mini version of this game are smaller than a dime which makes them pretty challenging to pick up. It’s great practice for students who need to strengthen their pincer grasp.

image featuring fine motor activity Mr. Munchie which is a squeezable tennis ball with a face

Mr. Munchie

Mr. Munchie has endless possibilities. Simply take a tennis ball and draw a face on it. Cut out a hole for the mouth and have students place objects inside the mouth. Mr. Munchie can munch on small pieces of paper that contain sight words, letters, numbers, and so much more! This can even be used with small objects like pom poms or checkers.

image featuring play-dough in the shape of fruit and vegetables

Play-dough Challenges

Play-dough challenges are so fun! Especially on those dreaded indoor recess days. All you have to do is show them a picture of something and they have to try to recreate it. It leaves lots of room for creativity and fine motor practice.

image featuring fine motor activity mini eraser sorting

Mini Eraser Sorting

Target is my favorite place to purchase mini erasers! Sometimes you can find them in these magical little boxes. The box itself makes the perfect visual for sorting. Sorting small objects is always a go-to when it comes to fine motor practice!

Sticker Art

There are so many ways to incorporate sticker art into your student’s days. One of my favorite ways is to use felt shapes from the dollar tree and seasonal stickers. For example, on Valentine’s Day we used felt heart shapes with a variety of stickers that they could create freely with.

Spinning Marker Tops

These are such a fun way to incorporate visual sensory input with fine motor practice. They’re a great low prep option since all you have to do is provide spinning tops and blank paper! Keep your eyes peeled for these in the dollar section at Target since they have them there too.

I hope these fine motor activities for kids inspired you to add something new to your rotation. There are countless fine motor skills that are practiced and strengthened with each of these ideas.

If you liked these tips on fine motor activities for the classroom, be sure to check out my tips for incorporating more movement in the classroom too.

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