Here's a list of our tried and true classroom favorite fine motor tasks! All the images are links that will take you to the item or resource. This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click in the qualifying links at no additional cost to you.
Perler Beads: These are so much fun and such great fine motor practice. I bought this mini iron to melt them with in my classroom. Also, don't forget to buy a roll of wax paper!
Pony Beads & Patterns: Super cheap and fun! Students can string these onto a pipe cleaner if a string is too difficult. I have pattern cards in with mine to give my students ideas
Arts & Crafts:
Cutting Shapes: I don't know about you, but my students always need practice cutting paper. If you have scrap paper, throw it in a bin for students to just chop up. Or download these free shapes and students can practice cutting out shapes.
Folding Papers: Here's a free set of folding templates that you can use. I print these on old scratch paper and put them in a fine motor box. If you don't want to print, you can always draw your own folding lines!
Origami: This is a favorite in my classroom. Bonus, students are working on following directions and motor at the same time!
Punch It! Task Cards: Using a hole punch is an awesome way to build hand strength. These punch cards are great because students can work on matching and identifying while they are hitting fine motor goals. You can grab them here.
Tracing Task Cards: These tracing task cards are a great way to practice correct grip, marker/pencil control and accuracy. You can laminate them and use them with dry erase markers or print and let students trace in their favorite color of pencil. I have a bundle available in my store.
Dot to Dot Task Cards: Dot to dots are great fine motor practice. I love using these task cards during fine motor stations. I laminate mine and then we can re-use them over and over again. You can grab them here.
Sticker Posters: These are so fun and the kids love them. I may or may not have bought a book for myself...
Games:
Mini Connect Four: Putting the tokens into the Connect 4 board is great fine motor practice, plus it's a easy way to also hit social skills and work on taking turns. You can get a travel size Connect 4 for more of a challenge.
Topple: I had this game when I was little and it was one of my favorites! Students have to lightly stack their pieces and try not to topple over the game. It's great for fine motor!
Misc. Activities
Tokens: Here's a quick and easy fine motor task. Gather up some poker chips from the old poker set you used in college and a yogurt or cottage cheese container. If you don't have a poker set, here's some tokens you can buy. Make a slice in the lid and have your students push the tokens into the container. Try holding the container at shoulder height for the student to make it more of a challenge.
Nuts & Bolts: I was worried about these being a little too "young" for my middle school classroom but my students really like them. You could always purchase large nuts and bolts from the hardware store if you want something that's better for older students.
Theraputty: I love theraputty and so do my students. I like to put small items in it so they have something to get out. These little wooden people are perfect, or if you have an old Monopoly board game laying around, you can use the pieces from that!
I hope this gave you some ideas! If you need even more ideas, I have a whole idea list that you can check out here. Don't feel like you have to spend tons of money either. Make sure you check out your local dollar store or thrift store for supplies! Or try making a classroom wish list and share it with your friends and family.
