Suggested Activities

Resource Guide
Suggested Activities

On day one of kindergarten it is evident that students vary tremendously in their visual-fine-motor abilities. Fine motor strength and eye-hand coordination are prerequisites for learning to draw shapes and pictures and write letters and numbers. Without adequate visual-perceptual-fine-motor foundational skills, young children will struggle, especially with learning to write letters and numbers.

There are many ways to incorporate building fine motor foundational skills in the classroom to assist all children to be ready to write and draw. It also is developmentally appropriate to incorporate fun learning activities. Some children absolutely NEED multi-sensory strategies to learn, but all children will enjoy them.

Suggested activities can be incorporated into:

small groups (guided or independent) during Language Arts or Math;
Word Work and Work on Writing (Daily 5™);
morning work; or,
self-selected activity time (centers).

If using the activities for morning work or during Work on Writing, you may want to consider placing the activities in bins or drawers to make the activities easily accessible and quick to clean up. An example of morning work bins can be view at this teacher's blog Links to an external site..

In order to plan for the needs of your learners, activity ideas are coded by age:

A: all age levels
K: kindergarten
PK: 4-year olds
PS: 3-year olds

Name	Supplies	Activity Ideas
Punch It Out	Assorted hole punches Variety of colored paper Construction paper for background	Have students practice using hole punches on colored paper. Students should pick up paper holes and put into a container to use at various center stations. K, PK, PS Use paper punches to have students identify beginning (K, PK) and ending sounds (K). Prepare small cards with pictures of words that start or end with a given letter. Use various upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet as border. Students punch out all letters that do not correspond to the picture. K, PK Reference Links to an external site. Punch out holes in die-cut letters. K, PK Have students use a hole punch to represent given numerals (0-10, PK)(0-20, K). K, PK
“Mr. Mouth” or “Critter Munch”	Tennis ball Wiggly eyes Cutting tool Coins Procedures Using a cutting tool, make a slice approximately 2 ½” inches long. The length of the slit will increase (longer slit) or decrease (shorter slit) the difficulty of the task. Add wiggly eyes above the “mouth.” Students squeeze the sides of the ball with one hand to open the mouth and feed “Mr. Mouth” with the other hand.	Roll a die and feed that many small objects (e.g. counters, small erasers, buttons) to Mr. Mouth. K, PK Select a magnetic letter or letter bead, produce the sound, and feed Mr. Mouth. K, PK Spell sight words and feed Mr. Mouth. K Encourage students to try using their non-dominant hand to squeeze Mr. Mouth after several tries with their dominant hand. A Sort colors by feeding one color at a time (various manipulatives such as pompoms, fruit loops, pony beads, etc.). A
Puffball Race	Eye Droppers or bulb syringe Colored pompoms (various sizes)	Students use air from eyedropper or bulb syringe to squeeze and push a puffball across the table. A Groups of students race to see who can get their puffball across the table first. A Provide die-cut letters or magnetic letters; have students squeeze and push the puffball to the matching letter or from uppercase letter to lowercase letter. K, PK Provide die-cut numbers, magnetic numbers, or printed numerals; have students squeeze and push the correct number of puffballs onto the number. K, PK Students roll a die and squeeze and push the correct number of puffballs across the table. K, PK
Wet and Wild	Water table, or other container of water Eye Droppers/turkey Baster Spray Bottles Coffee filters Markers Sponges	Transfer water from one container to another using dropper, baster, or sponge (consider using food coloring to enhance experience). A Use droppers in science to mix colors. (e.g., mix a drop of red and a drop of blue to create purple.) A Use markers to decorate a coffee filter with letters, numbers, or shapes. Use an eyedropper or spray bottle on the filter to make the colors spread. A Use an eyedropper to see how many drops of water fit onto one side of a coin. K
Clothespins	Clothespins Center signs Markers Cotton balls or small manipulatives Cups or bowls Stickers (to match) Shoebox or index cards Resealable baggies for organizing	Use clothespins to make center choices or sign in for the day. K, PK Write letters and numbers on the ends of clothespins. Pin to the the edge of a shoebox or index cards to spell names, words, telephone numbers, addresses, etc. K, PK Use clothespins to connect matching pairs of letters and numerals. A Use a clothesline to hang up student work or dramatic play clothing. A Label cups or bowls with a number and pin a corresponding number of clips around the edge. K, PK Use clothespins to pick up objects and put them in a cup or bowl. Ideas include color, shape, number, or letter sorts. A Snowball Fight! Dump a container of cotton balls on the table. Use clothespins to pick up the “snowballs” and put them back in the container. A
Tongs/Tweezers	Tongs Tweezers Small manipulatives Bowls Colored rice Yarn	Use tongs to pick up objects and put them in a cup or bowl. Ideas include color, shape, number, or letter sorts. A Use tweezers to find small manipulatives hidden in a bowl of rice. K Cut various lengths of yarn into “noodles” and have the students move the “noodles” and sequence them by size. K Use tongs to pick up enough objects to match a given numeral. K, PK Use tongs to pick up magnetic or foam letters to: match letters on paper K,PK match pictures to beginning sounds K,PK spell names K,PK, spell sight words K
Rubbings	Leaves, coins, or any other objects with texture (e.g., coins, keys, sandpaper letters) Textured rubbing plates Paper Crayons with wrappers removed (triangular crayons work best)	Lay a leaf or object face side up on a table or flat surface. Cover the leaf with thin paper. Lightly rub the side of the crayon over the paper covering the leaf or object. Make sure to cover the entire area and rub around the edges of the object so that you can see the contrast. A Lay a textured rubbing plate under paper. Rub the paper using bare crayons held sideways. Encourage students to layer colors for visual interest. A Create sight word rubbing plates by writing words on index cards with glue, puffy paint, or sandpaper. K
Tissue Paper Crunch	Pieces of tissue paper (approximately 2-inch squares) Glue Paper with blackline designs Plain paper for creating original designs	Crunch up small pieces of tissue paper using the dominant hand (tip: tell students to put their other hand on the chair). Use glue to affix crumbled tissue pieces to a blackline image, creating a colorful design (examples: adding kernels to corn, adding apples or cherry blossoms to tree, adding snow to a winter scene). A Outline shapes, letters or numbers with crumbled tissue paper. K, PK Create original designs with glue and crumbled tissue paper. A
Hide and Seek Beads	Beads or manipulatives TheraPutty™ or play dough	Search the putty/playdough to find the hidden objects. A Find and identify letter or number beads. K, PK Find and use letter beads to: make names K, PK or sight words K
Nuts and Bolts	Nuts Bolts (can be real or plastic)	Match various size bolts to corresponding nuts. Turn the nut until it’s on the bolt completely. A To make it more challenging, see how quickly students can match and screw on each bolt. K Completed bolts can be sequenced by size. K, PK Completed bolts can be sorted by colors. A
Lacing	A variety of lacing cards (can use die-cuts for alphabet letters or numbers) String – purchased or make your own it is helpful to put tape around the ends of string to avoid fraying. You can also dip in wax, and allow to dry before use.	Note: make sure the student is grasping the end of the string with a neat pincer grasp. A Lace letters, then match upper and lowercase pairs. K, PK Lace letters to spell sight words. K Use lacing cards with a variety of die cuts or pictures that correspond to a season or theme. A Use cardboard or laminated picture of a shoe to practice tying laces. K Use the string to create a web for a spider. If time permits, use handprints or drawings to make the spiders ahead of time. A
Stringing-Along	A variety of beads (alphabet, wooden, plastic) A variety of sizes/shapes to accommodate and challenge children with varying levels of dexterity. Note that flat beads are easier and round beads are more challenging. Straws, cheerios, macaroni, fruit loops, etc. String – purchased or make your own it is helpful to put tape around the ends of string to avoid fraying. You can also dip in wax, and allow to dry before use. Pipe cleaners	Use alphabet letters to spell names or sight words. K, PK Use number beads to sequence numerals. K Thread collected straw cuttings onto string. K String patterns with colors, shapes, and sizes. A String materials in a sequence by size. K, PK
Coins	Toy or real coins Bank	See how many coins you can pick up with one hand at a time, then count them. A Pick up 2-3 coins within 1 hand and place them into a bank, one at a time, without using the other hand. K, PK
Plastic Links	Plastic, colored links Number cards Letter cards	Practice linking to make a chain. A Use links to represent a given numeral. K, PK Use links to sequence and connect number cards in order. K Use links to connect upper- and lowercase letters. K, PK Use links to spell name and sight words. K
Pop Beads	Plastic, colored, pop beads of various sizes (smaller for kindergarten) Letter pop beads Number pop beads or push/pull blocks Popsicle letters (see image)	Practice connecting pop beads to make a chain and then pull them apart. A Create a pattern with the beads. K, PK Have students take turns rolling a dice, add beads to match the number on the roll. See who has the most beads after 5 turns. K Have students connect alphabet pop beads to spell names and sight words. K
Light Board	Light Board - purchased or make your own Hardboard pegboard (painted black, if desired) Large box or bin LED tea lights Colored pegs	Use pegs to: write numbers or letters K, PK spell names of classmates, color words, etc. K, PK spell sight words K

Name	Supplies	Activity Ideas
Play Dough or Modeling Clay	Playdough Modeling clay Playdough extruders Playdough scissors Laminated letter and number cards Various cutters, tools and stampers (shapes, numbers, letters)	Playing with dough helps improve fine motor skills. Encourage students to use both hands together to roll, pinch, poke, or push the dough while sitting or standing. A For the youngest children use hands rather than tools. PS Use cutters, tools, and stampers to make letters and numbers. K, PK Form “snakes” with the dough with hands or use a play dough extruder (see picture above). Use the “snakes” to make: letters, numbers, and shapes K, PK sight words K
Dot Art Poor grasp Appropriate grasp	Do-a-Dot or BINGO stamp markers Paper Die-cut letters Blackline printables	Stamp in the circles to color the picture. A Create original designs with blank papers. A Stamp to decorate die-cut letters or numbers. PK Provide black line printables of letters and numbers. K, PK Stamp dots to match a corresponding numeral. K, PK
Painting	Finger paint, tempera paint, watercolors (non-toxic and water-soluable) Cotton swabs Squeeze bottles of paint Paint filled brushes Paint brushes, variety of widths and lengths Easel	Create art without tools using finger paint or tempera paint at a table or on the easel. PS Paint with cotton swabs. A Use cotton swabs to paint along lines of letters, numbers, and shapes K, PK sight words K Use squeezable, paint-filled brushes to create paintings. K, PK
“Gel-It-Up” Activity Bag	Re-sealable bags Hair gel, finger paint, or shaving cream Letter/number/shape templates to place under gel bag Small manipulatives (no sharp edges) Procedure: fill a resealable bag with hair gel, paint or shaving cream; seal tightly; and, double bag and securely close using tape to avoid or reduce mess.	Place the gel bag over a shape template and trace the template. A Place the gel bag over a letter/number template (K, PK) or sight word template (K) and allow the child to trace the template. Use a marker to draw a line down the center of a large resealable bag. Fill the bag with gel, paint, or shaving cream, and add manipulatives. Seal the bag, then encourage children to move the tokens from one side of the bag to the other. A Use to solve addition problems and decompose numbers K Add letter beads to the bag and spell names or sight words. K, PK
Pokey Pin	Toothpicks (or pushpins in eraser) Carpet square or foam board Paper with blackline designs stapled on top of a colored sheet of paper (created on own or downloaded from various sites) Visit Pokey Pin 101 Links to an external site. for information and free printables.	Place a stapled pokey pin blackline design on a carpet square. Use a toothpick (or pushpin) to punch holes in the paper. Remove the black ine design and hold up the colored paper to the light to see the design. K, PK Designs include letters, sight words, numbers, and shapes. A
Peg Boards or Golf Tees	Pegs and pegboard Golf tees Playdough or styrofoam Ping pong balls or items to balance on pegs/tees	Make shapes or letters by pushing pegs into a board, playdough or styrofoam. A Create designs with pegs or golf tees, then balance items (ping pong balls) on top of the tees or pegs. These items could be picked up with tongs to make it more challenging. K, PK Add letters to the ping pong balls to: make names and/or sight words K, PK place the ping pong balls in ABC order K Write letters on the pegs/golf tees and ping pong balls. Match upper- and lowercase letters. K, PK
Mazes	Black line mazes (printables can be found in Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Kit) Crayons, markers, or colored pencils Plastic sleeves or laminated mazes Dry erase markers for reuse	Tip: mazes assist students in working on directional and spatial awareness. Provide various levels of difficulty to differentiate instruction for students. K, PK
Wikki Stixs (Molding & Sculpting Sticks)	Variety of colors of molding & sculpting sticks, such as Wikki Stixs Laminated letter, number, or shape cards Provide various stick sizes for short lines found in some letters and numbers	Use the sticks to form shapes and help enhance kinesthetic skills. A Form letters or words with letter cards as models. K, PK Form numerals with number cards as models. K, PK
Cutting	Variety of scissors standard blunt-edged child’s scissors, like Fiskars Koopy (slightly self-opening) Large loop scissors Mini loop scissors (only if recommended for student by OT) Variety of paper Construction paper Regular weight copy paper	Tip: Fine Motor Fun by Sherrill Flora (provided in team inventory) has reproducible cutting activities. Provide different levels of difficulty to differentiate instruction for students. A Cut brightly colored straws into small pieces. Collect the pieces for other projects. A Use 1-inch strips for students to practice snipping – cutting all the way across, like “grass.” PK, PS Students should cut on straight bold lines first, before progressing to curved lines, then angled lines, and simple shapes. K, PK After these skills are mastered, students can cut around more complex shapes that combine different types of lines. K, PK

Name	Directions
Touchy Feely	Fill resealable bags, trays or box lids with one of these items and allow children to “write” or trace letters, numbers, or shapes - same skill, but with a different medium! shaving cream sand finger paint salt rice goop* sand paper varied fabrics carpet squares pudding hair gel lotion Goop recipe 1 cup cornstarch 2 cups baking soda 1 1/4 cups water Mix dry ingredients and add water a little at a time. (This is important, as you may not need all the water.) Mixture should be easy to scoop up with hands - not too runny. When a lump is squeezed; it melts, and then becomes more solid again.
Got Your Back	Work in pairs and take turns “writing” shapes and letters on partner’s back. Students could also work independently by “writing” on their knee or palm.
Invisible Paint	Write on the chalkboard using a paintbrush dipped in water.
Air Writing	“Sky-write” using dowel rods decorated with colorful streamers or pom-poms.
Light Up Letters	Use flashlights or laser pointers to write on the chalkboard to create or trace letters.
Get Movin'	Use painter’s tape to make letters on the floor. Walk, crawl, or drive a toy car on the outlines.
Magna-ficient	Use Magna-Doodles© to write their own letters, or to trace letters (Doodle Pro©).
Turn Out the Lights	Try writing a letter with closed eyes, or use flashlights to write letters in the dark.
Trace	Trace over pipe cleaners or puff paint.

Games for Purchase

The following games are a great way to support fine motor development and executive function skills (e.g., take turns, plan strategies, follow directions) during indoor recess or centers.

Memory©
Dominoes©
Lite Brite©
Jacks©
Kerplunk©
Mancala©
Connect Four©
Twister©
Perfection©

Fine Motor Resources, Books, and Websites

www.kaplanco.com Links to an external site. (key word – fine motor)
www.lakeshorelearning.com Links to an external site. (key word- fine motor)
www.beyondplay.com Links to an external site. (key word - fine motor)
www.therapro.com Links to an external site. (key word – fine motor)
www.dbdtoys.com Links to an external site. (search play pack, fine motor)
www.pfot.com Links to an external site.
www.callirobics.com Links to an external site.
www.therapyshoppe.com Links to an external site.
www.differentiatedkindergarten.com Links to an external site.
Trace & Lace, Color & Paste - Mailbox ISBN 1-56234-117-0
Write from the Start – LDA ISBN 0-7424-0160-X
Build A Doodle ISBN – 0-88160-124-1
Busy Kids Fine Motor Fun – Mailbox ISBN 1-56234-238-X

GeoBoards - use the rubber bands to form letters/shapes. Provide a design and have students imitate or copy.
Paper Folding - fold paper to make paper airplanes, or try origami.
Peeling and Sticking - provide stickers or foam pieces with self-adhesive backing to enhance a picture or writing.
Dramatic Play – provide items with snaps, buckles, and zippers such as belts, purses, wallets, backpacks, or shoes. Provide dolls with clothing that contains buttons, zippers, snaps, Velcro, and shoestrings or ties.
Insect/Bug Wrapping – use yarn to wrap up plastic insects and bugs in a cocoon or chrysalis.
Fishing - Use a magnetic fishing pole to pick up index cards. Options for index cards include sight words, names, letters, numerals, or differences/sums of equations. Have students pick up a card using the fishing pole. If they can read, solve, or identify what is written, they can keep the card. If they cannot, the card goes back in the “pond.”
Paper and Writing Tool Activities – Fine Motor Fun by Sherrill Flora (provided in team inventory) has a variety of activities that use paper and writing tools such as:
- tracing;
- dotted lines;
- dot to dots;
- copying dot designs;
- mazes;
- complete the picture; and,
- fingerplays and finger puppets.

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Suggested Activities

Resource Guide Suggested Activities

Resource Guide
Suggested Activities