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.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE FRUIT LOOP TOWERS?
- Plastic cups (we used cleaned apple sauce cups)
- Play dough
- Linguine
- Fruit Loops
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.
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.
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!
If your enjoyed these Fruit Loop Towers, check out quick and easy activities for toddlers and:
Karina
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 🙂
Lindsay
What a cute little activity! I'll have to try that with my son... 🙂
Nekky
I came here and I got stock. I love this site. Following you back.
SusieQTpies
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
Vicky
Jenny, thanks, it's a full service activity. Glad you came by!
Vicky
MsXpat, they were SO focused too! Thanks for coming by.
Vicky
Tracy, thanks for stopping by Mess For Less!
Vicky
Ellen, so glad you could stop by. This would probably have been a costly activity for you. 🙂
Vicky
sstone, who doesn't like fruit loops? 🙂
Vicky
Mommy-money, thanks for checking in!
Vicky
Autumn thank you! I hope you find some of the ideas helpful.
Vicky
RJ, thanks! I love activities we can do with stuff we already have.
Vicky
Suzanne, Following you back and I love those cereal box letters!
Jenny at dapperhouse
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
Vicky
Our side of the mountain, Thanks so much for the follow back!
MsXpat
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!