The multidisciplinary pediatric therapy team at Child and Family Development is rounding up some FUNctional gift ideas for the 2016 holiday season!
Here are some fine motor suggestions from our occupational therapists:
- Tobbles Neo Stacker by Fat Brain Toy Co: a favorite stacking toy for toddlers as it is forgiving and fun!
- Hog Wild Toys Moo/Cow Popper: This very entertaining toy is fabulous for hand strengthening. Kids of all ages could play with this for hours. It is available in many animal/ monster designs.
- Frida’s Fruit Fiesta by Educational Insights: This is a great alphabet game for preschoolers. It works on hand strengthening and coordination as well as visual memory for letter identification and naming.
- Honeybee Tree by International Playthings: It can be adapted for children as young as 3 to over 10. It is great for fine motor practice. Here’s a tip– you can remove the “sticks” with the balloon clips (from Harris Teeter) instead of pinching with fingers for extra strengthening.
- Who Shook Hook? by Wonder Forge: This game is such a hit with children ages 4-8. It includes a great game pieces that practice finger and hand strengthening.
- Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set by Learning Resources: The possibilities are endless with these tools. Practice picking up dried beans or rolled up Play Dough pieces with these fun tools.
- B. Pop Arty Beads: These are more resistant pop beads to strengthen slightly older fingers. We recommend this for ages 6-12.
- Squiggle Wiggle Writer by Toysmith: This provides great proprioceptive input for sensory seekers and unique motivation for kids less interested in writing.
- Squiggly Worms by Pressman Toy: This game can help to improve dexterity of little fingers. We successfully used with kids ages 4-8.
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