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    Home » Fine Motor Skills Activities

    Thrifty Thursday - Fine Motor Skills from the Dollar Store

    Modified: Nov 8, 2023 · Published: Mar 15, 2012 by Vicky · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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    Believe it or not, I actually had a life before Mess For Less. This is a fine motor activity we did last year BB (before blog). The best thing about Fine Motor Skills from the Dollar Store is it will only cost you $1-2 depending on what you have on hand. Don't you just love activities for fine motor skills like that?

    Supplies you will need:

    • Cheese shaker
    • Toothpicks (I like the blunt tipped ones as the kids are less likely to get poked)

    You can find all of the supplies in the dollar store. The cheese shaker is just like a sugar dispenser except it has many holes on the top lid.

    Give your child a cup of toothpicks and an empty cheese shaker and have them insert the toothpicks into the holes. I was proud that the twins were able to take turns. This is great for multiple kids to work on at once since the shaker has lots of holes.

    My youngest was 1 ½ at the time and she worked hard to insert the toothpicks. This was great practice for her.

    The cheese shaker is glass so I recommend doing this activity on a rug or on a soft surface on the ground.

    We have played with our toothpicks and cheese shakers a few times since the summer but as I am writing this I think it would be great to try some longer pasta like spaghetti or linguine that has been broken to fit into the shaker.

    More Fine Motor Skills Activities

    • St. Patrick;s Day Fine Motor Activities
      St. Patrick's Day Kids Fine Motor Activities
    • 18 Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers
      18 Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers
    • 25 Fall Fine Motor Activities
    • Activities for Fine Motor Skills

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    Vicky from Mess for Less

    I'm Vicky, the founder of Mess For Less, which I started in 2011 to share easy, family-friendly recipes. With over a decade of experience as a home chef and recipe developer, I love creating meals that bring people together. I also design play and learning activities for kids, using my background as a former teacher with a Master’s degree in education. Learn more about me.

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