Need Suggestions for Fine-motor Skill Development Toys for 3 Year Old

For my son's third birthday I asked for beads and string, and we just open the box together to string pretty colors together. You can get larger blocks if he is still putting things in his mouth. Before we got the bday gift, I took dry rigatoni and used food coloring to paint them and then strung them on ribbon. It was fine except we aren't that organized around here, and if my son took them out on his own, someone ended stepping on them. It works, but you run the risk of having broken pieces to clean up. Anyway, the trick is to have string or ribbon stiff enough so that it is not too frustrating to get the beads to slide on. I guess you could even slide the beads on some sort of stick, like a skinny straw or something if the string is too unruly.

Playdo have him roll little balls, then squash them with each finger. Have him roll out long cords of dough and then give him a toy knife to slice them.

If you give him a peeled banana, give him a toy knife and then have him slice it them have him use his fork to stab them and dunk them in yogurt.

Give him clothes pins and have him help you carry clothes with the clothes pins from the dryer to the laundry basket.. Make it a game..

Have him help you put your change in the family piggy bank. One piece at a time.

Small toy cars can be used to follow the "road" that you and him have drawn on a piece of paper.. Make the road larger and larger by collecting the papers and let him tape the papers together. Then he can push his car along the lines.. Make it a game, push with one finger, then 2. Try the other hand.. Show that even you have to struggle, but that is ok.. use YOUR words...

For snack try to include as many finger foods as possible and have him pick up each piece one at a time. Let him feed you "1 raisin" then
"2 goldfish, one at a time".

Get some sugar or peanut butter cookie dough and have him help you push it flat, one ball at a time, then let him use plastic cookie cutters to cut them out... Then you can bake them.

Have him help you try to button dads shirts so you can put them on the hanger.

Also set an example about frustration. Pretend to have trouble, doing a task in front of him and let him hear you say "This is frustrating." "I think I need help with this." then ask him for his assistance "Could you please help me. "
"Thank you " "Thank you for your help." You and your husband should also say these things with each other in front of him.

I wish I had this information for our daughter. In kinder this is the one thing I had not really worked on very much.. After working with her a few days she quickly developed these skills. At the age of five I had her make chains of paperclips, I had her collect all of the rubber bands and make rubber band balls. I had her help me ball and then tie ribbons on all of my husbands socks,, Should have seen his face the next morning.. Hee, hee.. I also hade her help me cut paper and ribbon for projects...

You can get blocks with holes to put laces through (stringing items)
you can put objects in playdoh or silly putty and have him pick through to find the hidden items (smaller beads or toys can be a choking hazard but this can be easily kept off the floor on a tray or table)
I think kids this age will get easily frustrated as part of the learning process so good for you for not just doing it for him right away!

Lots of great suggestions! I'll throw in playdoh as well. Kids need strength in their fingers too, to help with dexterity.

Hi K.,
I had this same issue with my son when he was 3-4 years old. He ended up going for OT which helped TREMENDOUSLY. Think about asking his ped send him for an OT evaluation.
Meanwhile, here are some things that my private OT therapist did (while waiting for OT to begin--don't be surprised if you have to wait months for an eval--that's why it's better to address early:
Sidewalk chalk
Writing on an easel with either chalk or markers on dry-erase side
Mazes - to encourage staying in the "lane"
Sticking stickers onto a sheet with a template of similar sized shapes (i.e. round smiley stickers placed into similar sized circles on the page)
Play Doh--roll into worms, snakes, etc.
Squeeze squishy ball for hand strengthening
Legos
Shape clips and snap beads to put together into long chains
Make Cheerio necklaces by using stringing techniques
Tissue paper--tear and crumple up into pieces and glue to a paper to make a picture. Paper wadding with O. hand at a time is a HUGE helper for hand strength.
If you have any other questions, please let me know. OT helped my son SO very much. He held pencils/crayons awkwardly and had a lot of trouble using scissors. He's going to be 7 next month and he's doing great!

Legos. If you are concerned about choking hazards you could get Lego Duplo.
If he likes construction type play, there are construction play sets (hammer, screwdriver, workbench, large plastic nails and screws). Also beads (you can buy fairly large beads) and string and drawing/painting will help with fine motor skills.

I'd recommend Duplos or MegaBlocks as they're bigger and less worrisome than Legos for your little one.

I noticed that our kids did really well with just giving them things like crayons and letting them color (or chalk on a chalk board). Our daughter (22 months) has amazing fine motor skills which we realized by watching her take the backs off of stickers. They were the kind that come in a BIG pack at a place like Hobby Lobby/Michaels and are kind of puffy. They are individual and have paper on the back that you remove.

I'd also recommend a tool set that has screws that you need to tighten (Doug and Melissa have a good wooden one).

You could also do something as easy as getting Cheerios out and having him count them and put them into a bowl.

I hope some of those suggestions are helpful without recommending tutoring/therapy.

Safety scissors (cutting out paper shapes), coloring with big crayons, sidewalk chalk (for outside in the summer) , lacing cards, stringing cheerios or fruit loops, play dough, finger paints, stacking blocks, large size Leggos, etc. All are great for small motor development and keeping little hands busy! I just remembered something I had as a kid. My Mom gave me some pipe cleaners and a box of large beads and buttons. My sister and I made pipe cleaner people and animals with them.

hi~
there are a number of things that can be impacting his fine motor (FM) skills. you state that he has a hard time trying to complete puzzles - can he find pictures in a book (e.g. separating an image in a picture from background of picture), if you ask him to get an object, can he find it?
* How are his prewriting skills (can he draw vertical line, horizontal line and a circle)?
* Can he stack 10 small (1 inch) blocks?
* Can he cut across a piece of paper?
* Does he have a hand preference?
* Is he able to follow other verbal directions (in the same way that you provide directions with puzzles) during other activities?

If he has a hard time with his fine motor skills and you are able you may want to consider an occupational therapy evaluation (they work on fine motor skills). They will be able to assess him and let you know if he is on target or delayed in FM skills. They can also give you home program suggestions to assist with developing his skills an dupdate the program as he improves.

When working on FM skills you want to engage him in activities that he enjoys/motivates him. Make is fun – pretend play with him (e.g. to work no finger isolation you can use finger puppet. Make up a story that the finger puppets (e.g. animal or people) were walking in the jungle and were getting hungry so they decided to make an apple pie – then you can have him use his pinchers (with finger puppets on his thumb and index finger) to pick up blocks or other smaller objects that are “apples” and place them in a cup, stir it, pretend bake it, then eat it).

Some other suggestions are:
• Use sticker (he peels them and puts them on paper)
• Playdoh
• Help in the kitchen (stir cookie dough – roll out cookie dough – use cookie cutters)
• Spray bottles (easier when it gets warm outside – but can use at bath time)
• Arts and crafts – make things that are motivating – have him cut rectangles and circles and make a train, etc. draw pictures and have him decorate them with stickers, foam shapes, tissue paper, etc
• Paper meche – http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/papermache/a/051500pm.htm

here are some websites with additional info on fine motor skills:
http://make-the-grade-ot.com/Fine%20Motor%20Activities%20...

http://otexchange.com/docs/Fine%20Motor%20Activities%20fo...

hope that helps you.

I would have him start working with scissors our parents as teachers lady gave us these all plastic scissors that only cut paper and my 3 year old loves to use them and cut paper. Get pom pom balls and a tong and have him work on pinching it together to pick them up, beads and string. Good luck

His fine motor skills will improve as the little nerve endings in his spinal cord connect and start fireing signals to the brain. Mother nature is in charge. In the meantime let him play with whatever he wants. He will learn soon.

Try DiscoveryToys.com to find a local Discovery Toys rep to contact. They have toys that are developmentally appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers and many of the toys grow with the child by using them in different ways. There is one called Measure Up Cups-- it's not just regular stacking cups-- it has a ton of special features and ways you can use it to teach different things and it comes with a parent guide to give you ideas. The rep can give you other suggestions for toys that would be good for him, too. It sounds to me that it's not only a small motor skills issue, but coginitive, too, so she can suggest some toys that will help with things like patterning and visual discrimination. If you can't find one in your area, let me know because I know one in Orlando who is really knowledgable who'd be happy to help you, but try to find a local rep if you can.

The W-Sit: please watch if your son sits with his knees forward and his feet angling out at the hip (sitting on feet is different). If your son does this, stop the habit IMMEDIATELY. You can explain that it can hurt his knees or something like that. Then, be vigilant about observing his seating. Say, "feet in front" or a similar phrase every time you see him sitting that way. He will likely self-correct over time.

Children who sit this way typically do not develop fine motor skills at the same rate as their peers. It has something to do with how they compensate for trunk control with their legs and therefore do not have the angle or reach to perfect fine motor skills. I read online that it is also typical for children with autism to sit this way.

I cannot believe how no one ever told me this about my son before he was evaluated by EI... now I make a point to mention it to every parent of a child who sits this way at the library, zoo, etc.

(Editted to add: You received a lot of good suggestions for helping your son refine these skills. One thing that my son LOVES is to tear up paper, a suggestion from EI. Of course, it's a mess. But it's worth it if he can write well one day =)