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    Home » Motor Activities » Fine Motor Activity - Fruit Loop Towers

    Fine Motor Activity - Fruit Loop Towers

    Published: Aug 22, 2011 · Modified: Apr 13, 2022 by Vicky

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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

    ENVIORNMENTALLY FRIENDLY KIDS CRAFTS?

    If you are looking for more fun activities for kids, check out Green Kid Crafts, an earth friendly monthly craft subscription box for kids that sparks creativity while teaching kids a respect and love for the environment. These boxes are themed and each month will be filled with fun projects and creative activities that can be enjoyed by kids from ages 3-10.

    Since Green Kid Crafts is an earth friendly company, they use sustainable, safe materials in all of their products. They also give a portion from each sale to environmental non-profits. Learn more about a monthly subscription of fun!

    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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    « Bottle Print Flowers
    Kids Art - Block and Paper Towel Prints »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. The How To Mommy

      August 22, 2011 at 10:07 pm

      Crafts that don't take much clean up are my idea of awesome! This is great! New follower from Monday Mingle Blog hop.

    2. Sara

      August 23, 2011 at 12:16 am

      Thanks for the follow. What amazing ideas you have for activities. I will be sure to keep checking in my kids will love the new activities.

    3. The Woven Moments

      August 23, 2011 at 12:49 am

      What a fabulous idea! I'm definitely going to try this with my brood!

    4. Kim

      August 22, 2011 at 10:01 pm

      What an adorable idea, my kiddos would love that!!!

    5. 17sirens

      August 23, 2011 at 2:22 am

      Followed you back!
      I love your blog design 🙂

      And what a great idea!

    6. Erin

      August 23, 2011 at 3:02 am

      Hi thanks for following me from the Blog Hop!! How adorable! This is a wonderful idea and I'm going to tell a few relatives with younger children, I know they will enjoy this idea!!

    7. Brittany

      August 23, 2011 at 4:51 am

      Thanks for following me from the blog hop! I love your blog! I only have a fur baby but when I have kids I would love to do these activities. I plan on visiting your blog often, feel free to stop by mine.

      Brittany
      You, Me & Remy

    8. Reese Milania

      August 23, 2011 at 12:52 am

      what an awesome idea 🙂

      http://www.reesemilania.blogspot.com

    9. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 5:43 am

      Kim, thank you for stopping by!

    10. Jessi Timmermans

      August 23, 2011 at 12:03 pm

      Love this! 🙂 definatly putting it on our todo list this week

    11. Veronica Lee

      August 23, 2011 at 1:03 pm

      Love the idea!

      Hi! Stopping by from MBC. Great blog!
      Have a nice day!

    12. Wendy

      August 23, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      What a great idea! My daughter could use this to help her with her FMS too! Thanks for stopping by today!

      Wendy
      Around My Family Table

    13. The Southern Fried Bride

      August 23, 2011 at 4:40 pm

      Cute blog! Following you back!

    14. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 7:55 pm

      How to Mommy, thanks so much for following back!

    15. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 7:56 pm

      Sara, thanks! I do hope you'll be back!

    16. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 7:58 pm

      Woven Moments, Thanks for stopping by! Let me know how it goes.

    17. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:00 pm

      Reese, Thanks so much!

    18. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:00 pm

      17 sirens, thanks for the follow!

    19. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:00 pm

      Erin, thanks for sharing!

    20. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:01 pm

      Brittany, thanks so much for the visit.

    21. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:02 pm

      Jessi, it's so easy, I think you will love it.

    22. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:02 pm

      Veronica, thanks!

    23. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:02 pm

      Wendy, thanks for dropping in!

    24. Vicky

      August 23, 2011 at 8:03 pm

      Southern Fried Bride, thanks so much for visiting!

    25. Our Side of the Mountain

      August 23, 2011 at 11:30 pm

      What a simple, wonderful fine motor skill activity! New follower from the Fun Tuesday Hop!

    26. Suzanne

      August 24, 2011 at 2:23 am

      That's a neat activity! Found you from MBC!

    27. RJ

      August 24, 2011 at 2:54 am

      following you back - LOVE your creative ideas - so very doable with stuff we have around the house. Glad to have found your blog. :0)

    28. Autumn

      August 24, 2011 at 3:33 am

      I love this idea, thank you! I'm a special ed teacher and we work on a lot of fine motor activities. I'm happy to see a fun activity 🙂

    29. Mommy-Money

      August 24, 2011 at 12:03 pm

      That is awesome! I am following you back!
      momma-money.blogspot.com

    30. Ellen

      August 24, 2011 at 2:56 pm

      Had I thought of this when my boys were young, they would have eaten more than they stacked!

      Thanks for visiting me at A sEason for All Things. I'm your newest follower. ~ Ellen

    31. Tracy

      August 24, 2011 at 3:35 pm

      What a neat idea. My kids also think fruit loops are a treat as I rarely buy them I will have to try this. I'm following you back from http://www.mama-press.com

    32. sstone

      August 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      What a fun idea:) I will be honest... fruit loops are my favourite too.:) Thanks for the following. I'm following you back.:)

    33. MsXpat

      August 24, 2011 at 7:42 pm

      LOL, brilliant! And I love the fact its also a teaching aid, nothing like a treat to get the kids focused :0) You have such original idea. Love it!

    34. Vicky

      August 24, 2011 at 9:42 pm

      Our side of the mountain, Thanks so much for the follow back!

    35. Jenny at dapperhouse

      August 24, 2011 at 9:48 pm

      This is a great idea!! i love that they can practice fine motor, play with their food and then snack...SUPER FUN! I also love the shaving cream art. I had never heard of that and I am definately going to give it a try.

      Following you back.

      - jenny at dapperhouse

    36. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:21 am

      Suzanne, Following you back and I love those cereal box letters!

    37. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:22 am

      RJ, thanks! I love activities we can do with stuff we already have.

    38. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:26 am

      Autumn thank you! I hope you find some of the ideas helpful.

    39. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:27 am

      Mommy-money, thanks for checking in!

    40. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:27 am

      sstone, who doesn't like fruit loops? 🙂

    41. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:28 am

      Ellen, so glad you could stop by. This would probably have been a costly activity for you. 🙂

    42. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:28 am

      Tracy, thanks for stopping by Mess For Less!

    43. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:29 am

      MsXpat, they were SO focused too! Thanks for coming by.

    44. Vicky

      August 25, 2011 at 12:30 am

      Jenny, thanks, it's a full service activity. Glad you came by!

    45. SusieQTpies

      August 25, 2011 at 3:31 am

      Adorable! I miss having my girls this age and doing these things with them. This is a super activity!

      Thanks for stopping in today and leaving a back to school comment. I often thought of having the girls hold a sign for the year of school they were in when I took their early photo but never did it! lol

      Have a super week! xoxo SusieQTpies

    46. Nekky

      August 25, 2011 at 5:21 am

      I came here and I got stock. I love this site. Following you back.

    47. Lindsay

      August 25, 2011 at 5:49 am

      What a cute little activity! I'll have to try that with my son... 🙂

    48. Karina

      August 25, 2011 at 5:59 am

      So cute!! Loved the hanging socks idea 🙂

      I can't believe we also felt it in New York, us east coasters are so not used to these kind of things, so it was scary.

      Coming by to return the love and follow back 🙂

    49. Michelle

      August 25, 2011 at 3:06 pm

      hello there, thanks for visiting and being a new follower.
      i like your blog, neat and informative :). i'll try some of your tips, my son has ASD and he need a lot of activities to develop his fine motor skills.

    50. Gladys

      August 25, 2011 at 4:56 pm

      This is a really cute and fun activity. Thanks for the idea!

    51. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 7:46 pm

      Susie, thanks for coming by and for your thoughtful comment.

    52. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 7:47 pm

      Nekky, thanks for coming by. Glad you liked it.

    53. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 7:49 pm

      Lindsey, thanks for coming by!

    54. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 8:09 pm

      Karina, sounds scary for sure. Thanks for coming by.

    55. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 8:10 pm

      Michelle, I am so glad the activities will help your son.

    56. Vicky

      August 26, 2011 at 8:11 pm

      Gladys, Thanks so much for following!

    57. Katherines Corner

      August 27, 2011 at 1:13 pm

      A terrific idea, well done, and love the photos of the artists. Thank you for following along at Katherines Corner. I look forward to more visits to your blog too. Hugs

    58. Vicky

      August 27, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      Katherine, thanks so much for the kind words!

    59. Nicole Mariana

      August 29, 2011 at 9:51 pm

      I'm your newest follower! Your blog is super cute! Please check out my newest post:

      http://www.romanianprincess.com/2011/08/video-music-awards-2011.html

      And don't forget to follow back!

      http://www.romanianprincess.com

      XoXo Nicole Mariana

    60. Dianne

      August 30, 2011 at 2:41 am

      What a great idea! Not sure many of them would make it on the noodle at my house though before they were all eaten 🙂 I'm a new follower. Thanks for the sweet comment on my blog.

    61. 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

    62. 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!

    63. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:34 am

      Nicole, I am following you as well.

    64. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

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

    65. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

      Jess, cheerios would be perfect too!

    66. Vicky

      September 04, 2011 at 3:35 am

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

    67. 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

    68. Vicky

      September 07, 2011 at 9:30 pm

      Pam, thanks so much for all your kind words.

    69. 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.

    70. Vicky

      September 16, 2011 at 3:51 am

      Julia, you sound like my kind of woman. 🙂

    71. 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). 🙂

    72. 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!

    73. 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!

    74. The Outlaw Mom

      November 08, 2011 at 4:38 am

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

    75. Marianne Botting

      August 29, 2014 at 2:43 pm

      Amazingly simple activity - genius. Love it!

    Trackbacks

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      […] Fruit Loop Towers | I first saw this idea on Facebook, and it’s a great way to work on hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills at the same time. […]

    3. 14 Amazing Hand Eye Coordination Activities for Preschoolers says:
      June 10, 2020 at 5:26 am

      […] Fruit Loop Towers | I first saw this idea on Facebook, and it’s a great way to work on hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills at the same time. Mess for Less […]

    4. Hands On Learning Activities | KindergartenPrep.org says:
      April 25, 2022 at 3:35 pm

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    Hi, I'm Vicky, 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 it at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

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