Crafts and process art are a great opportunity to integrate fine motor practice in preschool classes. And what better time to create and practice those fine motor skills than the weeks leading up to Valentine’s? So many friends and family to craft for, which is why I’m sharing with you over 30 fun and crafty Valentine’s fine motor activities!
30+ Fun and Crafty Valentine’s Fine Motor Activities
Ok. I admit it. I like Valentine’s Day.
I know many people think it is just a holiday that is made up by card companies, and maybe it is, but I like it anyway. And, I absolutely love doing Valentine activities with my preschoolers.
Here’s why:
The Valentine season is the perfect time to teach kids about kindness and love for others. It’s great for teaching about friendship and compassion.
It always seems like around late January and into February children need gentle reminders about the importance of being kind and friendly. About how to see things from someone else’s perspective. You might think it is a tall order for a preschooler, but I feel it is important, so I teach it.
With crafty fine motor activities.
The preschoolers are drawn to art and crafts and small, tiny things in fine motor activities…and they have all the love in the world enveloped in their hearts.
And hopefully, some new friendships will bud and the old friendships will flourish.
FAQ About Teaching a Friendship Theme to Preschoolers
One of the best ways to teach preschoolers about how to make and keep friends is by being a model for them during your own interactions with preschoolers. Show your preschoolers appropriate interactions and what it feels like to have a good friend by first being a friend to them.
Show them how to be kind and caring. When you help your preschoolers swaddle their baby doll, or open a cheese stick, or listen to their stories and answer their questions, your preschoolers will notice your kindness and want to be like you.
Modeling friendship is the first and best way to teach preschoolers about friends. Preschoolers also need to learn how to recognize their feelings and to reach out to an adult if they are feeling lonely or hurt.
Including friendship activities in circle time is also helpful. Teach your preschoolers to be good listeners, to respond to things that are said, and to be helpful. Friendship activities for preschoolers should also include collaborative activities and games, and random acts of kindness.
The possibilities for friendship activities are endless. Try playing cooperative games, working together on a single shared art project, doing building activities at the block center, or doing a scavenger hunt together. There are countless picture books that teach preschoolers about friendship, too.
This post features six printable friendship activities; each one is designed specifically to be used with preschoolers and toddlers. They are an easy and effective addition to your friendship theme in preschool.
Around the age of 3, children are starting to play more with each other and are forming new friendships. We talk about what makes a good friend, we do friendship activities, we read friendship stories, and we sing friendship songs. All year long.
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Valentine’s Fine Motor Activities
Valentine's Fine Motor Activities
Listed below are over thirty fine motor activities for Valentine's Day. Some are perfect for preschoolers, and many for toddlers, too! Your biggest problem will be deciding which Valentine's Day fine motor activities to add to your preschool lesson plans.
These fine motor activities include hand strengthening activities, pincer grasp activities, sensory writing activities and fine motor Valentine's Day arts and crafts.
Montessori Inspired Preschool Valentine's Activities
This post features four Montessori-inspired Valentine’s fine motor activities for preschoolers that focus on the pincer grasp.
Hearts Fine Motor Practice
This fun fine motor activity for toddlers uses Valentine heart bracelets and hooks! Little learners will use the materials to practice hanging and stacking the bracelets.
Heart Scissor Skills Puzzles
This is a very simple fine motor activity that focuses on scissor skills. It's perfect for preschoolers who love cutting but still need some practice.
Valentine's Day Fine Motor Activity
This Valentine's fine motor activity is a great way to play and learn with clothespins. It's a low prep activity, making it a quick boredom buster for cold winter days.
Activities for Toddlers: Heart-Themed Fine Motor Activity
Using straws, play dough and heart shaped pasta, toddlers can practice fine motor skills by threading and stacking the pasta. This is a great way to work on the pincer grasp.
Plant a Heart Garden Busy Bag
With some hearts and roses preschoolers will have fun planting a heart garden. This busy bag is awesome practice for fine motor skills and great for pretend play too!
Counting Roses Activity for Valentine's Day
Counting roses activity helps with learning numbers 1-5 and doubles as fine motor skill practice too!
Simple Valentines Fine Motor Skills Activities
These simple Valentine's fine motor activities are great for preschoolers who need to practice the pincer grasp and hand strengthening.
Heart Counting Game and Threading Activity
This heart counting game and lacing activity is a fun way to practice counting while developing fine motor skills this Valentine’s Day.
Sewing Valentine Hearts
Young children will enjoy sewing felt Valentine hearts and stuffing them. This is a great activity for practicing the pincer grasp.
Beaded Name Hearts
Beaded name hearts are wonderful for name recognition and learning the sequence of letters in your name! Threading beads onto pipe cleaner is also a great way for preschoolers to work on fine motor skills.
Heart Button Snake for Fine Motor Skills
This Valentine themed button snake is a great way for early learners to practice buttoning skills and threading skills which all require a strong pincer grasp.
Hand sewing for kids: Heart & Star Decorations
Hand sewing into styrofoam is a great way for beginners to learn how to sew. This activity is great for Valentine's Day or any other theme or holiday!
Valentine's Sensory Writing Tray & Light Table Activity
This Valentine's writing tray is a fun way to practice writing Valentine's themed words and shapes. Salt trays like this one are great for toddlers and preschoolers to practice mark making and writing skills.
Rose Scented No Cook Play Dough
This pink rose scented play dough is perfect for Valentine's Day and a great way for preschoolers to work on their hand strength and other fine motor skills.
Valentine's Day Cloud Dough
Cloud dough is such a fun sensory experience for preschoolers! Paired with heart molds and cookie cutters makes it perfect for Valentine's Day!
Fun and Easy Valentine’s Craft with Foil and Paint
This is a great art project to work on fine motor skills because using a Q-tip forces children to use a tripod grasp which is necessary for writing.
"You Warm my Heart" Valentine's Day Craft
This wonderful Valentine's craft will get preschoolers practicing fine motor skills through tearing tissue paper and sticking them to a jar with glue.
DRIP PAINTED HEARTS
Pipette drip painting is such a fun alternative to painting with brushes. It’ s quick set-up process art project that allows kids to develop fine motor skills, and explore color mixing and pattern making.
Valentine's Suncatcher Craft for Preschool
This fun and easy Valentine's activity only requires minimal preparation yet appeals to kids of all ages and skill levels.
Fun Preschool Valentine’s Activity Using Frozen Hearts
Discover what happens when you paint with frozen hearts, especially as they start to melt. A bit of science at the art table!
Valentine's Day Q-Tip Painting Printables
Painting with q-tips is a different and fun way of painting, and it's great for fine motor skills!
Confetti Hearts Valentine Craft for Preschool
This a fun Valentine's craft that children will enjoy! It also helps develop fine motor skills, and you can even add some patterning concepts as well.
Simple Heart Craft for Toddlers
This classic Valentine’s Day Crafts for little kids and toddlers is so simple and gorgeous! Working with eye droppers requires some great fine motor and coordination skills so it’s more than just a pretty craft !
Layered Hearts Valentine's Craft for Preschoolers
This cute and simple Valentine's Day craft is a mix of scissor cutting skills and a measurement activity. It’s also a wonderful friendship and kindness craft that can be given away as a Valentine!
Amid the Hearts and Glitter
So, when your kitchen table gets speckled in glitter and you find yourself picking dried glue stick off the preschool chairs, remember what you kids have learned this Valentine season. Have they felt a little more kindness? Perhaps they sought out someone who was sitting alone and joined them? Perhaps they shared their snack or favorite colored crayon with someone new? Maybe a confrontation was dissolved and a new understanding came about, creating a budding and fresh friendship.
I know. Valentine’s Day can be kitschy and lame, (or not), but I think it is a really important holiday to celebrate in preschool. With over 30 Valentine’s fine motor activities, something great is bound to happen in preschool.
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.
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