Fine motor skills involve the coordination of muscles in the hands and fingers. Look for toys that involve squeezing, grasping, pinching, and manipulating. Strengthening these muscles supports activities like writing, buttoning, and self-feeding!

Ages 0-2: Infants to Toddlers 

This early stage is full of many transitions. Babies start with that reflexive grasp we all know and love from day 1 of them clinging to that finger. As time progresses, grasping becomes intentional with swiping to purposeful reaching/holding, and gradually refining to what we refer to as pincer grasp.

Toy ideas that are safe to explore and learn as the child grows. The guide includes toys such as: 

• Rattles/Soft Balls: provides item to hold onto and gradually develop shaking
• Soft Blocks/Stacking Rings: perfect for development of controlled positioning while adding in visual motor component 
• Cause Effect/“Put In” Toys: provide more refined coordination and add in opportunity for visual motor planning to correctly orient as well as interactive attention 

Ages 2–4: Toddlers to Early Preschool

If you have or know a child in this stage, you already know it’s the “I do it!” era. They are explorative learners and always craving opportunity to be independent. Here is where we working on developing strength and bilateral coordination (both hands together) as foundations for cutting, coloring, and pre-writing. 

So below are some of our guide recommendations: 

• Playdoh Kits/Theraputty: both of these materials are ideal for hand strengthening while providing opportunity for creative imagination too 
• Mr Potato Head/Alphabet Alligators: continued hand strength while adding in body awareness and/or letter identification  
• Large Lacing Beads: provide opportunity for visual motor and fine motor skill development  in the same style as cutting with supporting bilateral coordination 

Ages 4–6: Preschool to Kindergarten

Here fine motor skills should begin to be more precise and coordinated. It’s also where school demands are increasing – cutting shapes, writing, managing clothing fasteners, etc. 

Here are some of our favorite toys from the guide to blend precision and motor control with fun: 

• Jenga Blocks/Magnatiles: incorporating fine and visual motor creativity without even realizing; often require impulse control too 
• Lite Brite/Lacing Cards: require a very fine point manipulation to pick up or thread, still encouraging visual perceptual design and motor control using both hands 
• Draw Projector: such a fun gift to practice tracing lines which builds pen control while eye tracking movements 

Ages 6+: Early Elementary and Beyond

By this age, children need sustained strength, dexterity, and coordination for handwriting, shoe tying, sports, and instruments. And yes we know this can be the “too cool for school” stage. So we chose activities that feel fun while building real skills.

Some of our best recommendations included: 

• Dino Lego Set/Toolbox/Lock & Key: all require precise fine motor manipulation while adding in pieces of executive functioning 
• Fuse Beads/Pixel Art/Geoboard: these also engage super precise fine motor manipulation while adding in additional visual perceptual and motor challenges 
• Battleship/Kerplunk: such great throwback games that build higher level thinking, fine motor strength and control

Gross Motor Guide

Ages 0–2 Infant to Toddlers 

As we know, this is the ultimate foundation. Tummy time really is as important as you get nagged about as it’s crucial for strengthening muscles to later support rolling, pulling to stand, and first even steps. 

So a wide range of activities & toys for this age would be: 

• Water Mat/Activity Mat: help keep the engagement and attention to make tummy time more fun; can can promote visual tracking and reaching  
• Pop Up Tunnel: a motivating piece to integrate crawling through for bilateral coordinated and reflex movements
• Learning Walker/Climbing Blocks: supporting the standing position and alternating movements for building strength and coordination 

Ages 2–4 Toddler to Early Preschool

The same “I do it” kiddos are just as busy here cause they’re always on the move. They’ve had some time to gain confidence in walking so now climbing, jumping, running is all they want to do. 

These gifts in our guide are so fun that you have to check them out: 

• Jumping Castle/Trampoline: the best part of these items is they can grow with your child, always developing jumping (perfect for sensory input) and gross motor coordination
• Balance Bike/Coaster Toy: they encourage a seated position that build postural stability as well strength of core and lower body 
• Little Tikes Basketball: a fairly common gift at this age as it’s perfect for building hand eye coordination to throw meeting target while gaining confidence to physical play 

Ages 4–6 Preschool to Kindergarten 

Their gross motor skills are becoming more controlled in confident where catching/throwing has a better success rate, balance is more attainable, and they may begin sport interests. 

Just a handful gross motor ideas we had for this age range are: 

• Stepping Stones/Balance Beam: alternating patterns to engage motor planning and balance through weight shift; providing feedback to body awareness for sensory input as well 
• Bean Bag Toss/Velcro Set: engages much hand eye coordination movement to grade control speed and force while increasing hand eye coordination to hit a specific target 
• 3-1 Musical Jump, Ring Toss, and Stomp Launcher: this is a gift every kid would love, a perfect 3 in 1 for rhythmic jumping or stomping to build strength of lower extremities   

Ages 6+ Early Elementary and Beyond 

Here we are likely seeing more advanced coordination and complex movements come together. This age range is building timed reactions, speed, and strength for school recess or more competitive sports. 

In our attempt to bring fun toys and activities to this age range, here’s just some of the fun suggestions: 

Archery/Fort Building: more opportunity for the hands and eyes to continue working together in target practice or building structures to navigate through for additional movement 

Balance Scooter (Hover)/Bicycle: probably  most wanted gifts that actually require much core engagement and postural control to maintain upright position   

Sport Training Equipment: for the kids working on specific sport skills and have the desire to train for enhancement of areas, this agility course adds various components to engage gross motor movement and timing  

Social & Emotional Skill Guide

These toys encourage planning, memory, problem-solving.

Ages 0-2 Infant to Toddlers 

At this stage, it may not seem as evident early on but so much development is occurring. The biggest focus in this stage though is gaining attention, modeling expression/language, and eventually some simple turn taking. 

Toys below are perfect for engagement to social and emotional learning: 

• Mickey Jack in Box/Dancing Cactus: both draw and likely keep young eyes engaged to closely watch; the cactus toy is such a fun way to move and groove while mimicking sounds  
• See ‘N Say/Feelings Mirror: we love both these for promoting attention and language such as watching the spinner touch animal to model “cow says moo” or looking in mirror with “i feel happy”; both offer additional fine motor movements as well to grasp/pull or flip 
• Piggy Bank/Color Fish Bowl: these are favorites of ours as they are perfect for multiple areas: simple turn taking with “your turn, my turn” “open/close” as well as encouraging fine motor manipulation to put pieces in; adding language or simple directions for color specific targets 

Ages 2-4 Toddler to Early Preschool 

Here we find the language continues to grow and storytelling is imaginatively fun for this age group to share, just as it is to listen to. Role and pretend play is quite a staple early on, while additionally working through turn taking within more simple yet structured rules. 

Activities and games we suggest to best support this range would be: 

• Pop Pirate/Magnetic Bird Game: both of these are super simplistic games that allow for more opportunity to wait turn while still contributing to fine and visual motor coordinated skills 
• Doctor Kit/Kitchen Set/Pretend Food: each of these are ideal in setting the tone for imaginative play and modeling language through engagement; such great opportunity for back forth dialogue
• Little People Animal/Finger Puppets: handling these mini targets promote fine motor development and dexterity while equally encouraging storytelling to narrate with creative language; allows farm pieces to be utilized in positional phrasing (on top, under, etc) 

Ages 4-6 Early Preschool to Kindergarten 

This young developing age range are continuing with turn taking as well as cooperative play. Playing with higher expectation of rules as well as more push for win lose opportunities to allow for emotional awareness. Emotions are known here but big reactions can still be common.

So we linked toys/game we provided to encourage a push in this area a bit, but still give room for adult support to follow rule expectation and provide coping strategies. 

• Candy Land/Chutes Ladders: these two really give emphasis on following game rules, sustaining attention, and controlling emotions; it’s a bonus piece of adding in visual motor to track the board too 
• HedBanz/Zingo/Card Games: each of these require some form of reciprocal form of communication whether asking for a card in Go Fish, asking to intuitive questions, or calling out answers to a zingo board (more visual scanning opportunities too) 
• Emotion Rollercoaster/Face Changing Cubes: providing opportunities to discuss and work through basic and situational feelings which increase self awareness and coping strategies within  

Age 6+ Elementary and Beyond

A prized stage of the good and maybe not so good emotions and social areas that come with making new friends within a deeper connection. This area may focus on higher complexity problem solving (conflict resolution), competitive sport teamwork, and following rules more precisely. 

The games attached to Holiday Gift Guide included those which create fun strategic thinking. Here are just a few: 

Tapple/5 Second Rule: both encourage quick thinking to give answers as fast as possible, these are perfect for laughter and organizing information in fun opportunities; it can create social interactions just like the game Guess Who, and organization. They’re great for kids who enjoy challenges and benefit from practicing focus and decision-making.

Banagram/Sequence Board Game: lots of strategy and executive functioning thinking which can be played separately to form words and visual patterns, or as a team to build connection and peer interactions