20+ Fine Motor Activities for Fall
Fine motor practice for preschoolers is the best way to help little hands develop and strengthen. Your little ones will need strong muscles for everyday tasks such as getting dressed, tying shoelaces and learning to write. These 20+ fall fine motor activities will make learning so much fun this autumn season!
If you’re looking for more amazing autumn learning activities for kids, don’t miss our compilation of the best fall activities for preschoolers!
Fall Fine Motor Activities
Has it been long enough since I talked about playdough that I can talk about it again?? If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m always on the lookout for playdough ideas for preschool! I love including them in almost all of my preschool lesson plans.
Play dough is such an excellent medium for working those fine motor muscles. And you’re in luck, because I have this playdough recipe without cream of tartar that is literally fool proof. It is such an easy playdough recipe. You don’t even have to cook it!
You can easily turn it into fall scented playdough by adding a few teaspoons of spices to the batch. That makes it extra fun for any kind of autumn fine motor activity with playdough.
FAQs About Fine Motor Activities
Practicing fine motor skills does not need to be complicated. Some easy activities such as play dough, painting, sponging, threading beads or buttons, simple sewing, water and sensory play are all great low-prep fine motor activities. These ideas are not only fun for toddlers and preschoolers but also great at hand strengthening and coordination.
When working with toddlers, fine motor activities need to be safe. Some ideas include playing with play dough, threading dry cereal o’s onto dry spaghetti stuck in play dough, or building with blocks. Drawing on paper or a vertical surface such as a chalk board is also a great idea for toddlers.
Fine motor practice activities are an important part of toddler and preschool development because fine motor skills are essential to most daily activities such as feeding and dressing oneself. Fine motor activities help kids with hand-eye coordination, hand strength and finger control, which are important skills for learning to write.
20+ Fine Motor Activities for Fall
These 20+ fine motor activities for fall include a variety of process art and crafts, sensory activities, prewriting activities as well as some math!
Fine Motor Practice with Scooping and Pouring
Preschoolers will love practicing scooping and pouring with this simple fall themed sensory bin.
Fall Alphabet Activity with Beginning Sounds
Using clips with this fall alphabet beginning sounds activity is a great way to incorporate some fine motor work into a literacy activity. Preschoolers will practice pincer grasp as well as letter sounds.
Leaf Impressions Fall Playdough Activity
Play dough is an excellent medium for working those fine motor muscles. Add some leaves to make impressions for some fall themed fun!
Pumpkin Drop - an Amazing Autumn Fine Motor Activity
Pumpkin Drop is a fun fall activity for the classroom! Preschoolers can use jumbo tweezers to pick up little pumpkins and drop them in the jar as they count!
Fall Prewriting Worksheets +5 Fine Motor Activities
These fall leaf themed prewriting worksheets are great for encouraging preschoolers to practice writing. And they are so versatile too!
Autumn Themed Sight Word Sensory
Preschoolers will love digging through the fall items to uncover each sight word. The satisfaction on their faces when they read one correctly is priceless!
Fine Motor Fall Yarn Wrapping
These beautiful yarn wrapped fall shapes are a wonderful craft for older toddlers, preschoolers, or elementary kids to make. This simple craft will also provide fantastic fine motor work for your kids.
Sensory Autumn Art Project
This Sensory Autumn Art Project gives you a reason to play with leaves. Kids will love crumbling the dried leaves. It's an awesome sensory experience!
Fine Motor Fall Leaves
Preschoolers will have so much fun practicing fine motor skills with fall leaves. This is a wonderful low-prep activity for quiet time.
Fall Leaves In and Out Activity for Kids
This fall leaves busy box activity is so great for toddlers! It's the perfect low-prep, quiet time activity for a fall theme.
Leaf Threading
Leaf Threading is a simple fine motor activity that can be done outside with real leaves! Preschooler will love finding as many colorful leaves to add to their stick!
Fall Counting Fine Motor Activity
This simple fall sensory bin is a wonderful way to incorporate math and fine motor skills into one preschool activity.
Torn Paper Fall Tree
Kids will use fine motor skills and strength to tear the colorful paper when creating this fall tree craft.
Crumpled Paper Fall Art for Kids
This Crumpled Paper Fall Art is a creative way for kids to work on fine motor strengthening and skills.
Fall Yarn Tree Craft
This Fall Yarn Tree Craft is a great way for preschoolers to practice scissor skills. Plus its a simple process art activity.
Fall Pom Pom Tree Fine Motor Activity
Twisting the pipe cleaners to make this Fall Pom Pom Tree is an excellent way to work on fine motor skills.
STUFFED PINECONE CRAFT
Creating this simple stuffed pinecone craft uses a lot of fine motor skills, including tearing, crumpling, pinching and poking. It's a great fall craft for preschoolers.
Apple Patterns Printable Activity
This free Apple Patterns printable activity is so fun for preschoolers. I love that they are working on patterning skills and fine motor development at the same time!
"Bobbing" for Apples Fine Motor Fall Activity
This "bobbing" for apples activity is a fun way to practice fine motor skills. You can also incorporate counting and sorting activities with these materials.
Shiny Red Apples
Fall is the perfect time for an apple craft! With this sparkly craft kids will get some nice fine motor work in, as well!
Pine Cone Drop for Babies
This fine motor activity is perfect for the littlest learners. All you need is some pipe cones and box with a hole cut into it!
Fine Motor Pinecone Activity with Paint
This pinecone activity is super simple to set up, and strengthens toddler fine motor skills by squeezing the paint. Preschoolers will love it too!
Pine Cone & Elastic Band Fine Motor Activity
This super simple fine motor activity for kids using pine cones and elastic bands is great for strengthening those little hand muscles. This activity is also good for concentration and hand-eye coordination.
These fall themed fine motor practice activities for kids are a fun way to celebrate the season while learning important life skills. These fall activities for preschoolers incorporate pre writing skills, as well as literacy and math skills which make them great additions to your fall preschool lesson plans.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.