Easy $1 Winter Fine Motor Activities

STACK THE SNOWMAN

Materials:
- Mini Erasers ($1 for 60 pack from Target)
- Tongs/Tweezers

Objective:
- Use the tongs to pick up each snowman and stack them on top of each other
- Sort them into different piles according to the color on the snowman's hat
- Try to make the highest tower without the snowman falling down
- Can work on simple sorting, fine motor control, grading of movements, fine motor strengthening and endurance, crossing midline







MASON JAR STRAWS

Materials:
- Plastic mason jar ($1 from dollar tree)
- Plastic straws ($1 for 180)

Directions:
- Take out the straw provided so there is a hole on the top of the container lid
- Cut plastic straws into about 1 inch strips

Objective:
- Have the child pick up the straws and place them into the container through the hole on the lid
-Can work on pincer grasp, sorting by color, in-hand manipulation, crossing midline













CANDY CANE COLOR SORT
Materials:
- Mini Erasers ($1 for 60 pack at Target)
- Plastic containers ($1 for 10 pack at Dollar Tree)
- Foam paper / Construction paper
-Scissors / Glue

Objective:
- Place candy canes into the container according to each color
- Works on simple sorting skills
- Can use tongs or tweezers for fine motor strengthening and fine motor control
-Can have them work on in-hand manipulation skills: palm to digit translation

Directions:
- Use a scissor to cut out slots on the lids of the plastic containers (I found that poking a hole first was the best way to prevent the lid from cracking)
- Trace the top of the lid onto colored paper and cut it out
- Glue onto the top of the lid







RED NOSE REINDEER ACTIVITY 

Materials:

- Brown construction paper

- Plain white scrap paper

- Scissors, glue

-Tape, markers

-Pompoms ($1)

-Squeezing tool ($1)

(I'm actually using a nose sucker device for infants! - Can also use a turkey baster or a squirt bottle)  

Objective: 
- Use the squeezer to puff the red pompoms into the reindeer's nose
-Works on hand strengthening, hand endurance, fine motor coordination

Other game variations:
- Hungry Snowman (puffing cotton balls)
- Gumdrop Gingerbread Man (puffing pompoms)
- Feeding Santa (pompoms as 'cookies')
- Hungry Elf (pompoms as 'candy')
- Stuff The Turkey (see Thanksgiving version here)