Are you a momma looking for fine motor skills toys for two-year-olds? Then, you’ve landed in the right place. I’m Brittany, early learning educator, parent-resource, and your go-to girl for all things early learning. My passion is to help make your life easier by providing tips, tricks, and ideas for creating meaningful learning skills for your young learner! If you’re interested in more ideas like the ones you find in this article, make sure to check out our Monthly Skills Builders Newsletter. In our newsletter, you can find free ideas, resources, and learning activities sent straight to your inbox, making teaching your young child easy for you, and even more fun for them. It’s a win all around 🙂
What is Fine Motor Skill Development Anyway?
Fine Motor Skill Development is just a fancy way of describing how the small muscles in the hands and fingers of your child are growing! Fine motor skills are crucial for tasks such as writing, grasping small objects, and using utensils. AKA… the more fine motor skills your child develops, the more independent they can become! For a two-year-old, fine motor skill development lays the foundation for academic learning and other daily life activities.
Fine Motor Milestones for Your Two-Year-Old
At two years old, your child is already rapidly developing their fine motor skills. All children are different. But, some milestones you can expect to see between birth and the age of 2 include…
- 0-6 months: reflexive grasp (at birth), voluntary grasp (3 months), and controlled reach (6 months)
- 6-12 months: drops and picks up toys, reaches and grasps to put objects in mouth
- 1-2 years: builds tower of 3 small blocks, put 4 rings on a stick, turns 2-3 pages of a book at a time, scribbles, holds and drinks from cup independently.
If you’re interested to see how more fine motor milestones, you can check out this article here!
How to Make Fine Motor Skill Development Simple
Looking at those milestones might sound overwhelming. First, remember all children develop differently. If you have major concerns, it is first best to talk to a medical expert or pediatrician who knows your baby well. If you’re interested in supporting your child’s fine motor skill development, my good news for you is: it doesn’t have to be complicated! In fact, many everyday activities can help your child improve these skills without them even realizing it. Here are a few simple ways to incorporate fine motor practice into your daily routine:
- Playdough fun: playing with playdough allows your children to squeeze, roll, and mold, all of which help strengthen their hand muscles. Make sure your play dough is child-safe if you won’t be closeby!
- Puzzle Time: Puzzles are excellent for fine motor development because they require precise manipulation of small pieces!
- Stringing Cereal: Give your child a bowl of fruit loops or cheerios and a string to thread them onto. This activity not only improves fine motor skills but also hand-eye coordination. Or, try large beads instead!
- Cooking Together (My Favorite Idea!): Let your child help with simple cooking tasks like stirring batter or scooping ingredients. These activities require careful hand movements and are GREAT for building fine motor skills.
And on that note… it doesn’t have to stop at cooking together. Think of your daily household tasks and how your children could be included. Chances are, MOST of those tasks require fine motor skill development. Including them in daily household items not only helps them develop fine motor skills, but helps them become more confident and independent little learners! If you are looking for more ideas for how to develop fine motor skills without breaking the bank, this mom has some phenomenal ideas.
Fine Motor Toys for Two-Year-Olds
Now, let’s dive into some incredible fine motor skills toys for two-year olds. These toys are staples in the fine motor skill development world, and are designed to help your child develop fine motor skills in an engaging way.
- Shape Sorters: These classic toys encourage children to match shapes and fit them into corresponding holes, improving hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
- Latch Boards: Latch boards feature different types of locks and latches for children to manipulate, helping them develop hand strength and dexterity. Here is a different take on the same idea!
- Stacking Rings: Stacking ring toys require precision as children stack rings in size order, enhancing their fine motor skills and spatial awareness.
- Nesting and Stacking Cups: Nesting and stacking cups allow children to explore size relationships while refining their grasping and stacking abilities.
- Peg Puzzles (without the peg): Peg puzzles feature large, easy-to-grasp pieces that children can manipulate to fit into corresponding holes, promoting hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.
Explorative, imaginative play with your toddler should be a priority! Therefore, t is important to remember that less is usually more. That’s why some of the toys I have linked are less about the bells, whistles, and stimulation… and more about explorative learning.
More Fine Motor Skills Practice…
In addition to fine motor skills toys for two year olds, there are PLENTY of other activities you can do with your little one to further develop their fine motor skills:
- Sensory bin activities (my favorite!)
- Drawing and coloring
- Water play with basic household objects
- And outdoor play that requires any kind of coordination! Think climbing, swinging, and playing!
Remember, friend, it does not have to be complicated. And I am here to help you along the way! For all things early learning, you can follow me @miss.bees.knees on instagram, facebook, and my website. Shoot me a DM to let me know how any of these activities go. And don’t forget! I send monthly skill-building newsletters out to all my subscribers. Sign up for next month’s today, and get spring and summer-inspired (FREE) activities sent right to your inbox.
