5 Minute Fine Motor Activity

5 minute setup but with the potential to keep your toddler busy till nap time! Sounds too good to be true, right?

We love a simple yet educational activity for our kiddos! If you're stuck inside or wanting to enjoy the warm spring air, this activity is almost an afterthought it’s so simple. Best part is when bedtime finally comes and your little learner is fast asleep, you will have the confidence that you conquered another day as the most involved mom ever!

Materials

• Ice cube tray

• Small toys (I found our little dinosaurs at our local grocery store! Small plastic letters will work great as well. Really anything water proof that will fit in the tray! If you're learning about letters, colors, shapes, this is an activity you can customize.

• WATER

Process

Make sure the toys are slightly sticking out of ice to help your child remove the ice cube from the tray. Let them explore the ice cubes and encourage vocabulary like, cold, melt, touch. Encourage child to independently remove the ice cubes, and either put them in the water to melt or on a surface. Demonstrate manipulating the dinosaur to help remove the ice. Then let them free to explore and examine a new concept!

What you need to know about fine motor skills

There are 2 types of motor skills that develop at 1-2 months old and continue to preschool/early elementary school. Large motor skills are movements that involve large muscle groups ex. running, jumping, going down a slide. Fine motor skills use small muscles to manipulate objects ex. picking things up. Ultimately, these fine motor skills give your child confidence and help develop their independence. I love watching Henry’s little hands work to explore something new. These fine motor skills can be the gateway to help our children discover their independence. Best part is, there are so many opportunities throughout the day to challenge your little learners' fine motor skills and set them up for educational success!

I love this blog post by Early Impact on the benefits of developing fine motor skills! Check it out for more info!

https://earlyimpactlearning.com/21-important-benefits-of-fine-motor-skills-with-tips/