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  • Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

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    Home » Fine Motor Skills Activities

    Fine Motor Activity - Fruit Loop Towers

    Published: Aug 22, 2011 · Modified: Aug 4, 2022 by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

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    Yesterday, I was looking for a quick fine motor activity to do with the girls that would not take much time and not require a big cleanup.  I remembered a fine motor activity I had seen on Sugar and Spice that involved play dough, pasta and cheerios.  Doesn't that sound yummy?  Okay, so you don't eat the pasta or the play dough, but you can eat the cereal when you are done. I didn't have cheerios (what kind of mom am I?) but I did have fruit loops and they worked just as well. My kids were so proud of how high they made their fruit loop towers. For more fun ideas check out 18 Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers.  

    Fine Motor Activity - These fruit loop towers are a simple way to practice fine motor skills with little ones.

    WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE FRUIT LOOP TOWERS?

    • Plastic cups (we used cleaned apple sauce cups)
    • Play dough
    • Linguine
    • Fruit Loops
    fruit loop towers

    HOW DO YOU MAKE AN EASY FINE MOTOR ACTIVITY FOR KIDS?

    I gave each girl a ball of play dough and stuck a piece of uncooked linguine in it.  I then filled some cups with fruit loops (we were out of cheerios and you'll see why fruit loops may be more fun).  My girls think fruit loops are the biggest treats since they rarely have them, so I decided to make their day.

    bowls of fruit loops and play dough

    Have your child try and put each loop onto the piece of pasta.  This requires a great deal of concentration and careful fine motor work.  I was so excited that even B, who is a little weaker on the fine motor side, did this with no trouble.

    child stringing fruit loops on pasta
    stacking fruit loops

    When they were done they were so excited to see the tower of rainbow colors they had made.  See, if you deprive your kid of fruit loops, you just get a beige tower.  The other plus to using fruit loops is this turned into a color identification activity as B went down her fruit loop tower and named each color.  A (middle name should be Not to be Outdone) did the same thing.  They were so proud of themselves.  I did this activity around snack time so when they were done I just had them eat the fruit loops for snack.  Lazy parenting at it's best!

    stacked fruit loops with play dough ball

    If your enjoyed these Fruit Loop Towers, check out quick and easy activities for toddlers and:  

    • Rainbow Fruit Loop Towers - Rainbow Activity
    • 20 Kid Friendly Recipes
    • Fine Motor Marble Race
    • Fun with Pipe Cleaners
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    More Fine Motor Skills Activities

    • Easter Fine Motor Activities
    • St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Craft
    • St. Patrick's Day Kids Fine Motor Activities
    • 18 Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marianne Botting

      August 29, 2014 at 2:43 pm

      Amazingly simple activity - genius. Love it!

    2. The Outlaw Mom

      November 08, 2011 at 4:38 am

      This is totally awesome! Love this idea 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    3. Martha

      October 03, 2011 at 2:17 am

      Your little girls are darling! and you are certainly good at keeping them busy! Thanks for stopping by and following. Have a blessed week!

    4. Amanda

      September 29, 2011 at 12:37 am

      Wow, I really like this one! Thanks to Athena from Columbia Basin Signing Academy for introducing us to your site. We'll definitely be visiting here again soon!

    5. AthenaS

      September 23, 2011 at 3:02 am

      Thanks for this. I used it tonight in my parent/child signing class to reinforce the signs for "cereal" and "more." The mom there loved it. She's looking forward to using it again with her little girl (she has Downs and spent the activity eating her fruit loops instead of stacking them). 🙂

    6. Vicky

      September 16, 2011 at 3:51 am

      Julia, you sound like my kind of woman. 🙂

    7. Julia Deering

      September 12, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      Hello there. WOW - so many comments on this post. I'm popping by from Adventures At Home, London UK.
      Love the idea of the fruit loop stacks. We've made edible snack-necklaces before (with one end of elastic attached to the floor with masking tape to stop the 'beads' falling off the end. We've used mini pretzels, Hula Hoops, apple rings - that kind of thing.
      Will try the spaghetti trick now - my two kiddos will love it I'm sure.

    8. Vicky

      September 07, 2011 at 9:30 pm

      Pam, thanks so much for all your kind words.

    9. Pam (Haslem) Dana

      September 06, 2011 at 3:05 am

      Vicky, thanks so much for the comment on our blog! Your blog is adorable! This is totally something my Nathan would LOVE! I'm now a follower on both here and FB! Thanks again!

      Pam from http://www.overthebigmoon.com

    10. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

      Jennifer, yes, this would be a fun playdate activity.

    11. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

      Jess, cheerios would be perfect too!

    12. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

      Dianne, that would happen if I were making it too.

    13. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:34 am

      Nicole, I am following you as well.

    14. Jennifer

      September 02, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      Ooh! I love this one! I have two other little ones coming over tomorrow for a play date with my girls and this will be a perfect activity for all of them to do together!

      Thanks for visiting my site yesterday and for letting me know about yours!

    15. Jess

      September 01, 2011 at 10:50 pm

      That is a great idea!I don't think we have coloured hoops in England but cheerios would work fine.My little one would love to do this!Thanks for sharing

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    Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Easter Activities and Recipes

    • Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe
    • How to Make Spotted Easter Eggs
    • M&M Easter Cookies
    • Shaving Cream Easter Eggs

    Spring Activities

    • How to Make a Mother's Day Card
    • DIY Seed Starter for Kids
    • Flower Craft Idea
    • How to Make a Paper Butterfly - Easy Craft for Kids

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

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