Top 15 Toys to Practice Fine Motor Skills
As a mom of a toddler on the spectrum, I have spent the last year carefully curating my child’s toy selection to help her develop delayed skills. Among these, one of the most critical skills she struggled with was fine motor manipulations. During her initial Autism (ASD) evaluation, we discovered that she was several months behind her peers in this particular area. Although we did our best to accommodate occupational therapy, we found that at-home solutions were cheaper and much more do-able for us! After a few weeks and sometimes even days with these toys, my toddler’s skills have improved tremendously! Each item on this list has been personally played with by my child, and I highly recommend them for children who have difficulty with fine motor skills.
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1.Learning Resources Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog, Sensory, Fine Motor Toy, Toys for Toddlers, Ages 18 months+ (paid link) Of all the items on this list, the Fine Motor Hedgehog has consistently been my toddler’s favorite. I purchased this toy for my daughter immediately after her initial evaluation for autism when we discovered that she did not have a fine pincer grasp and also struggled with hand-eye coordination. Initially, she needed a lot of hand-over-hand support but with a few tries, she got the hang of it. She has now had this toy for several months and it is often one of the first she grabs off the shelf. She has developed enough finesse through practice with the Hedgehog that she has now completely mastered it, which has also made it easier for her to hold tools like spoons, forks, paintbrushes (things she struggled with before). If your child has a weak grasp, struggles with a pincer grasp, or hand-eye coordination, I highly recommend this toy.
2. Wooden Educational Shape Sorter Geometric Block Sorting & Stacking Toys (paid link) We purchased this for our child early on, when she was only about 17 months old. Initially, she really enjoyed sorting the puzzle by shape or color as well as stacking the circles (the easiest of the shapes). Over time she developed enough strength in her muscles to guide all of the shapes to their pegs. She really enjoyed the problem-solving of matching the shapes to the correct pegs. Pushing the shapes down and pulling them back up also helped strengthen the muscles in her hand and she was able to practice guiding each shape properly. This toy is particularly great for those kids on the spectrum with special interests like my child who loves shapes, colors, and counting.
3. Special Supplies 16-Pack Fun Pull Pop and Fun Tubes (paid link) A therapy favorite of my daughters, she absolutely could not get enough of these pull pop fun tubes. These tackle not only fine motor skills with the pulling of the tubes, but also engage the core. As is the case with many kids on the spectrum, my child had hypotonia (low muscle tone) and therefore a weak core. This toy was one of the tricks I kept up my sleeve to help her work on her core without her even noticing and working on the fine motor at the same time! The best part is, it also makes a fun zipping sound as you pull them open which adds a layer of auditory/sensory input! This toy is really a 3-in-1 combo tackling fine motor, gross motor, and sensory. My kid would play with these all day if you let her, give them a try!
4. Stacking Peg Board Toy Set | JUMBO PACK | Montessori Occupational Therapy Fine Motor Skills (paid link) I first discovered this stacking pegboard at my child’s hearing test waiting room. I knew I had to buy it when I realized that she was completely engaged in stacking and unstacking the pegs for 20 minutes while we waited for her name to be called. If your special needs child is anything like mine, focused attention for 20 minutes straight is unheard of! I absolutely had to purchase this for her and it has been great. She already loved stacking blocks before, but this toy adds an extra layer of skill by requiring kids to align each peg precisely in order to get them to stack properly. She needs a little bit of force as well to get them to click, much like you would with legos. Really great for practicing hand-eye coordination, adjusting pressure with pushing and pulling, as well as aligning and balancing the toys. Bonus: this particular item comes with free stacking cups and other helpful goodies!
5. Coogam Wooden Magnetic Fishing Game, Fine Motor Skill Toy ABC Alphabet Color Sorting Puzzle (paid link) So confession here, my toddler has always really struggled with tools. She has had a strong aversion to holding tools of any kind whether it be a pencil, paintbrush, or yes even a wooden fishing rod. But as I have learned over time, exposure therapy works! I slowly introduced this toy to my toddler initially just letting her watch me play with it, then gradually having her touch it lightly and eventually getting to the point where she would be willing to hold the fishing rod. That took a few days adjustment as my child has super sensitive hands, but boy was it worth it! After desensitizing her to holding the fishing rod, she can’t get enough of this toy! A classic, this toy lets your child practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor by aligning the rod to the magnetic fishes and pulling them out one at a time. If your child is anything like mine, singing “Once I Caught A Fish Alive” nursery rhyme song is a perfect pairing for this play activity especially on a rainy day. Bonus: It also has letters on each fish to learn the alphabet!
6. Sensory4u Sensory Buckle Pillow Fine Motor Development Toy Activity — Plus Threading Counting and Zipper Skills All in One (paid link) I like to call this my go-to car activity. My daughter is still a little young to figure out all these buckles/clips but that does not stop her from trying! She often asks for this toy as her ‘bring-along’ during car trips to the grocery store or while running errands. It’s really perfect to just throw in your bag on the way to the car or just let your child have on their lap in the shopping cart while you shop. It’s simple, yet challenging, and my recommendation for Best Fine Motor Toy for the Car.
7. Special Supplies Therapy Putty for Kids and Adults (paid link) For those of you who have sensory kiddos that love squishy slimy things, this therapy putty is great! It comes in four different strengths, meaning some are softer than others and require a firmer or lighter squeeze to squish them fully. My daughter’s favorite was the x-soft (yellow). We have used this putty as at-home therapy to help her develop strength in her hands by having her lay the putty in a ball in her hand and then clasp her hand shut and squeeze a couple of times. For autistic children with hypotonia, this can really help work those muscles. I often notice the putty goes missing only to find out my daughter has squirreled it away to play with, she loves it so much!
8. Learning Resources Lowercase Lacing Letters, Fine Motor Skills, Early Spelling 260 Pieces Ages 3+ (paid link) If there’s one thing I have learned in my journey parenting autism, it’s that I can get my child to do almost anything if it involves letters! For those special interest kiddos, this is the perfect way to get them excited to practice fine motor skills. It’s a really simple concept, lace the letters onto the string, but it works wonders on building those little muscles and engaging my child. She initially struggled with this and needed some hand-over-hand guidance, but now she is a lacing champ and has really fantastic coordination. I would recommend this to those who have children with poor hand-eye coordination and an affinity for the alphabet.
9. Coogam Matching Eggs 12 pcs Set Color & Shape Recognition Sorter Puzzle (paid link) My favorite beginner toy, this is something your child can practice with very early on. It is as simple as pulling apart, aligning, and snapping back together. This toy presents just enough of a challenge, without being overly difficult and it’s still a lot of fun! My daughter initially would just “crack” the eggs, pulling them apart and placing them into a basket, but with time and exposure to the toy, she has now been able to match the shapes and put them back together. With the addition of colors and shapes to sort, I can get a solid hour of entertainment for her out of this.
10. Learning Resources Smart Snacks Rainbow Color Cones, Color Identification, Fine Motor Toy, Ages 2+(paid link) This is sure to excite your little ones who love ice cream and stacking games! I discovered this toy when my daughter became obsessed with a kids' song about scooping ice cream. The song pairs each scoop with counting and so it was a perfect match with this game. (For those of you wondering, the song is The Ice Cream Song from Super Simple Songs). This not only develops fine motor skills but also adds whimsical fun and imaginative play! Adding the song in is really just the cherry on top (see what I did there?).
11. Skoolzy Nuts and Bolts Fine Motor Skills — Occupational Therapy Toddler Toys (paid link) I would recommend this for the kids who have already started figuring out some fine motor skills but just need some fine-tuning. When my daughter played with this, she initially struggled but really improved with some practice. Your child should have already mastered putting pegs into holes before trying this one (like the Hedgehog toy mentioned in number one); but once you’ve mastered that skill, this is a great next step. The nuts and bolts add a new…twist…to the game (are you cringing from the puns yet?). This transforms the simple peg game into a more interesting challenge for your little ones who have already conquered the Hedgehog.
12. JOYIN Play-Act Counting Sorting Bears Toy Set with Matching Sorting Cups (paid link) For the kiddos who really like shapes, colors, numbers, and order this toy hits all the right marks. It comes with a pair of tongs that your child can use to pick up and sort the bears, working those hand muscles and coordination. The thing I like best about this toy is that it ages well. You can use it with younger toddlers for basics like sorting colors or learning to put things in and out of the cups, and as they grow older this activity can also be transformed into a game with the dice. This is my pick for Best Fine Motor Toy With Longevity (it’ll be played with for a few years!).
13. Learning Resources Smart Snacks Alpha Pops, Alphabet Matching & Fine Motor Skills Toy, 26 Double Sided Pieces, Ages 2+,Multi-color (paid link) I always love to try to sneak in some education into games whenever I can. If my child can’t tell she’s learning, then it’s a good toy in my book. This toy combines education with fine motor skills in a simple matching game. It’s got colors and both lower and upper case letters that snap together and pull apart. For those on the younger side, this is just a fun fine motor game, but for those toddlers on the older end, this also adds some creativity to learning the alphabet. My daughter also really loves popsicles so this was a hit with her!
14. Osmo — Little Genius Sticks & Rings — 2 Games — ABCs & Squiggle Magic — Ages 3–5 — For iPad or Fire Tablet (Osmo Base Required) (paid link) So this one may present a choking hazard to the littles, I would definitely pay attention to the age and recommend it for the older kiddos working on fine motor. For kids ages 3+, I really like the flexibility these sticks and rings give. It’s one of the more creative toys I’ve seen out there for learning and working with the alphabet hands-on. Your child probably won’t even notice they’re learning because they will be too busy having fun manipulating all the pieces. Important to note, to unlock the full fun-ness of this toy you will be an iPad or Fire Tablet to pair with the app/game. For that reason, this is my pick for Best Fine Motor Toy for the iPad Obsessed.
15. Educational Insights Playfoam Shape & Learn Alphabet Set |Perfect for Ages 3 and up (paid link) If your child loves sensory play, this playfoam is a clever way to sneak in some fine motor practice while also giving them the sensory input they crave. If your child is still very young, you can simply roll the foam and practice squishing it or rolling it out like a worm and making silly shapes. If your toddler is on the older end, you can go ahead and try practicing the shape and alphabets that come with this. Some kids on the spectrum have splinter skills, if your child is like mine they may already know their alphabet and this is just another fun way to practice! I also liked to use this as a fun way of teaching colors. We also like to bury little toys in here and dig them out with a spoon for extra fine motor development.
So that wraps up my top 15, hope these toys help your kids as much as they helped mine!
