gift guide

15 Great Gifts for Fine Motor Skill Development

November 8, 2019 By Laura Epstein 3 Comments

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog.

Fine motor skills are important to develop. From cutting with scissors, using utensils or learning to write these skills take time and patience to develop but they can also be fun. I have three children. I have a six year old with autism and twin neurotypical three year olds. These are some of their favorite toys that are also secretly helping with fine Motor skills.

Pop Beads

Pop beads are a fun way to build hand strength and coordination. These colorful beads were hard for my little ones at first but they quickly got the hang of them and started making necklaces, snakes, dragons and other monsters.

Discovery Putty

Discovery Putty is a type of therapy putty with objects hidden inside. There are lots of different types with different objects hidden: animals, dinosaurs, trains, etc. so there is something for every kids interest. In addition to being a great way to grow grip strength and dexterity this type of activity can also be very regulating.

Scissor Skills

My kids love this scissor skills workbook (yes, they actually love what is really a workbook). It is full of fun pictures to cut. Because I have three kids I also got a fun set of extra scissors which led to lots more great scissor skills practice.

Tape Activity Book

The Tape Activity book was a huge hit with my six year old starting when he was about four. He loved it so much we had to buy more wiki tape for it (an easy buy from Michaels or sometimes the dollar store). It is pretty simple in design. It has various pictures and youR child tapes over them. When Ross started using the book he still needed my assistance to help rip the tape but by the second roll he had figured it out.

Play-Doh

This classic toy has lots of fine motor benefits. It builds hand strength and dexterity plus you can add in scissors and other tools to practice with those as well. My twins currently love to play pretend kitchen with their playdough.

Play Foam

Playfoam is a fun alternative to play dough (with the advantage that it doesn’t dry out). You can often find single color packages, perfect for small gifts, at the dollar store or bullseye section of Target. My kids also love the number and letter sets (picture/link below).

Fine Motor Tool Set

The Learning Resources Fine Motor Tool Set includes four tools; a tweezers, a baller, a scooper and a syring (those definitely aren’t their titles, just ours). We use this set with kinetic sand, play foam, water, and water beads.

Kinetic Sand

My kids love kinetic sand! It is a very regulating activity to most children as well as being a great way to build hand strength and coordination. We pour the kinetic sand into plastic boxes and use it in conjunction with the fine motor set. They also make portable boxes of kinetic sand and colored sand as well.

Water Beads

Water beads are another great toy to use with the fine motor tools. They are little beads that get bigger and squishy when the are placed in water. My three year old twins love to place them in water, monitor them growing and then play with them!

Wiki-Stix

Wiki-Stix are fun, flexible sticks of wax. They are great stocking stuffers or small hanukkah gifts (I’ve actually used them in goodie bags too). They build dexterity and also hand strength and endurance.

Magnatabs

We were handed down the A to Z Magnatab and it has been a huge hit. It is a portable board with a magnetic pen. Users trace the letters and the pen brings up the magnetic balls. It’s great for in the car or quite solo play.

Magna Tiles

Magna Tiles are semi-transparent, colorful magnetic blocks. They require fine motor skills and control to properly put them together and they are so much fun to build towers, castles and more!

Wacky Links

We were given a small tube of Wacky Links as a gift and they have been a hit with all three boys. They are flexible sticks that connect to fun shaped connectors. My kids build crowns, jewelry and of course, swords (because I have all boys and everything is a sword).

Plus Plus Blocks

My oldest is obsessed with LEGOS but I’ve tried to find him a few other alternative blocks. Plus Plus blocks have been a fun alternative for creative block play (while working on motor skills). They come in two sizes. The basic size is great for my six year old and the larger size (“duplo” size) is suitable for my twins.

Those are my 15 favorite toys for fine motor skill development. What toys do you love? What did I miss? Tell me in the comments. Please contact me if you have any questions and I would love to have you on my newsletter. I also have a list of great basement toys and sensory tools you might be interested in and tips for surviving the holidays with your special needs child.

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15 Great Gifts for Fine Motor Skill Development

The 2019 Mother’s Day Gift Guide

April 5, 2019 By Laura Epstein Leave a Comment

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog and enjoy this Mother’s Day gift guide.

Mom’s are not always the easiest people to buy for. Okay, at least I’m not. I’m a little finicky about my clothes, I don’t wear much jewelry, and I don’t love house decorations. So I created this Mother’s Day gift guide to hopefully give some more ideas than the usual earrings that I bought my mom for about a decade when I figured out maybe that wasn’t always the best gift.

For The Crafter

I’m not the craftiest person but if you were to get me a “crafty” gift I’d be super enthusiastic to get a cricuit machine. I’ve pinned hundred of things I could make with this amazing cutting machine. I have so many things I would put on my coffee mugs if I was to make them myself and maybe the mom you are gifting to has a few projects in mind too.

For the Wine Lover

Grab your wine loving mom a fun mug that professes her love for the drink (and maybe hids it too!) or maybe just get her some wine? Winc is the new big thing in wine. Full disclosure: I don’t actually drink wine. My husband has been trying for years and I just don’t like it. BUT I have a friend whose opinion I trust who swears by Winc as her wine supplier. They offer some fun gift boxes (the “unwind with chardonnay” box is pictured below) that are a great option if the mom you’re buying for loves her Vino!

For The Fashionista

I’m finicky about my clothes. I’m not small (I’m a 16/18) and I hate cheap clothes. I’m a Paisley Raye stylist because I love the clothes and I love how they fit all body types. They are also high quality, stylish and made in the USA. The Lotus and Primrose dresses are my picks for great spring dresses that are perfect for Mother’s Day Gifts or gifts all day long.

For Your Mother In Law

Let’s face it mother in law’s are sometimes hard to buy for. Make it simple and grab her a mug that professes how much you like her.

Or, maybe you don’t like her that much? Let’s be honest not everyone loves their mother in law and if that present seems a little off then I love a gorgeous Erin Condren pouch. I have it in pink and it is perfect for pens, planning accessories and more. Pair it with an Erin Condren notebook and you have a great gift for that harder to buy for mother in law.

For the Well Caffeinated Mom

Are you looking for a gift for a coffee loving mom? (are there mom’s that aren’t needing a little coffee now and then?). Grab your caffeinate mom a subscription box of specialty coffee. Java Momma offers a fun “Momma’s Picks” subscription box. The box features three coffees each month in fun themes. May has a Cinco de Mayo theme and churro coffee sounds super yummy!

If you’re not into subscription boxes you could grab a fun creature mug. These fun mugs reveal a t-Rex, cactus, unicorn or my favorite, a hedgehog as you drink your coffee.

For Yourself

My husband struggles looking for gifts for me in May. It’s Mother’s Day, my birthday and our anniversary. Usually for my birthday he says pick something you like and the last few years I’ve gotten a Stitch Fix. I usually get two to four boxes a year and love the great seasonal pieces, layering jackets and accessories that I get. If you aren’t familiar with stitch fix a box contains five items your stylist picks for you after you fill out your preferences on style, fit and price. You choose what you like and send back what you love. I have a lot of shoes and Stitch Fix has some great ones including my favorite pair of Stitch Fix exclusive leopard print TOMS flats. I also have some of my favorite sweaters and jackets from Stitch Fix including my new jacket I as wearing today. Grab $25 off your first order here!

For the Mom Who Has Everything

What do you get the mom who has everything? Pictures! I love giving picture gifts and picture cards. Minted has some amazing cards you can personalize for mother’s day or you can create your own mother’s day photo gift. I recently made grandma and grandpa a fun photo gift using a fairly basic frame and pictures from our backyard. They loved it and it was so easy to make. I also often make my husband photo mugs and simple photo books. Both are super easy to make on Shutterfly or similar sites.

I hope I’ve helped you find a present for the moms in your life. What are your favorite Mother’s Day presents?

For more fun head over to the Messy Bun Brigade , our community group, and if you liked this mother’s day gift guide then be sure to check out my gift guide on great toys for fine motor development!