Toddler Activities that require fine motor practice do not always keep the little one entertained – because let’s be honest – they are not always fun!
I know on a few occasions I have set something up and within a few minutes … we are bored!!….
The correct balance comes when you integrate fine motor ‘something’ practice with imaginative thinking and possibly even a few sensory items – just for EXTRA FUN!!
At this age I try and limit task orientated things – I don’t like 18 month old children feeling like specific achievement is necessary.
That is why we made pom pom soup!
We actually did not plan on soup creation – but obviously because of the soup spoon and the pan we soon started ‘cook cook cooking!’
I set up two pom pom bins full of brightly colored pom poms and a selection of items to hold and use.
I tried to vary the ‘collection objects’ – wood and metal – round and square – hard and soft – tall and flat.
I only added two tools to pick up the pom poms with. A wooden tweezer and a kids kitchen soup ladle.
A soup label you have to tip completely different to a normal spoon if you want to pom poms to fall out!
After all was set up I called Mr Dylan and we played.
He smiled as soon as he saw the colored pom poms in the bins!
Job done!
He looked a little and felt the pom poms in the plastic bins with his hands, and then very quickly he started taking them out – into his soup pot with the ladle… and the cooking began.
He liked the baking sheet too – and he spent over 30 minutes passing the pom poms between the items and bins.
This was a VERY successful activity. One I highly recommend – for fine motor practice – imaginative play – AND FUN!
Here is a link to buy some Assorted Pom Poms
Pick up some pom poms and before you turn them into beautiful pom pom and wooden peg caterpillars – use them for this!
