100 Household Items for Fine Motor Skills

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To you it may look like just another utensil drawer, but your house is full of tools to develop your child's fine motor skills. Kids love to use these tools because they are "grown-up" tools and often "off-limits," but I'm a believer in allowing our children to practice and explore while supervised. I've found that when I trust kids to use grown-up tools (after proper training), they usually rise to the occasion. Sure, the tape may be wrinkled and the yarn might be twisted in a knot, but if we never let them try, they'll never have a chance to succeed.

I've compiled a list of items from my home that we have used to help develop fine motor skills. Some of the items listed are the main tool, others are items that we used in combination with the main tool. For example, I've listed coffee filters. We've used these for cutting snowflakes during the winter and for spray bottle art. Either way, I hope this list encourages you to look at your house in a new way and see the potential for fine motor fun in the ordinary.

In the Kitchen

• Tongs
• Wisk
• Garlic Press
• Cookie Scoop
• Pizza Cutter
• Toothpicks
• Colander
• Chip Clip
• Ice Cube Trays
• Can Opener
• Corn Cob Holders
• Skewers
• Vegetable Peeler
• Straws
• Pasta
• Measuring Cups/Spoons
• Funnel
• Plastic zip top bags
• Foil
• Plastic Cling Wrap
• Contact Paper
• Recycled containers
• Coffee Filters
• Cookie Cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Silverware
• Ice Cube Trays
• Muffin Tins
• Cookie Cooling Rack
• Toothpicks

Laundry Room

• Clothespins
• Dustpan
• Hand Broom
• Squirt Bottle

Garage/Toolbox

• Screwdriver
• Hammer (small lightweight hammer or a plastic toy hammer)
• Pliers
• Nuts/Bolts
• Paintbrush
• Measuring Tape
• Fishing Pole

Office

• Paper
• Post-it Notes
• Paper Clips
• Bulldog Clips
• Rubber Bands
• Tape Dispenser
• Stapler
• Staple Remover
• Hole Punch
• Letter Opener
• 3 -Ring Notebooks (opening and closing them)
• Folders (manipulating 3-prongs)

Bathroom

• Tweezers
• Medicine Dropper
• Sponge Rollers (mini pool noodle lacing beads)
• Cotton Balls
• Q-tips
• Recycled Hairspray Bottle (the pump kind, not aerosal)
• Hair Clips
• Bobby Pins

Craft Cabinet

• Pipe Cleaners
• Playdough
• Paintbrush
• Squirt Bottle
• Stickers
• Scissors
• Pom Poms
• Scrapbook Punches
• Plastic Needle
• Plastic Canvas
• Embroidery Hoop
• Zipper
• Pins/Pincushion
• Yarn
• Markers
• Colored Pencils
• Crayons
• Chalk
• Watercolors
• Paper
• Tissue Paper
• Ribbon

Miscellaneous

• Pool Noodles
• Plastic Links
• Bubble Packaging Wrap
• Light Brite Toy
• Golf Tees
• Piggy Bank
• Legos/Building Blocks
• Combination Lock/Padlock
• Puzzles
• Lacing Shapes
• Chalkboard
• Easel
• Styrofoam
• Bubbles/Wands
• Used Clothing (practice fastening zippers, buttons, belts, etc.)
• Computer Keyboard
• Computer Mouse

What else would you add to the list?

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