it’s toddler time! our GRAND ideas for fine motor fun!
- Our Grand Lives
- Sep 18
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 21
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Have we ever happened to mention…
We love our Littles!
Yep! No doubt about it!
As grandparents, we especially love the toddler years because they are a season of pure discovery and delight. Toddlers bring a mix of boundless energy and sweet innocence to every day! Whether it’s stacking blocks, chasing bubbles, or sharing belly laughs over silly songs… Every day is a new adventure!
One of the greatest challenges (and joys!) of grandparenting toddlers is figuring out how to keep those busy little hands and curious minds engaged during a visit. We’ve learned it’s less about planning grand adventures and more about having a few simple, go-to activities ready to go!
If you are a GRAND, like us
OR
someone who spends your day(s) with young Littles,
this post is for you!
Both of us - Laurie and Laura - are currently
GRANDS to toddlers… our Little Ps!
You read that right!
Both of our youngest Littles have names that begin with the letter P
and, they, too, were born six months apart,
just like their older sisters!
Whether it’s time spent in our home
or when we are visiting them,
we’re always looking for activities that will keep our toddler Littles busy
AND
we especially love it when
these activities help our young Littles practice new skills through play!
As retired kindergarten teachers, we know the value in offering skill-building activities and having opportunities to develop fine motor skills is especially important for toddlers!
And you know us… we are always tickled when we find activities that are easy, fun, and use materials we already have on hand — simple, inexpensive play that brings big joy to our Littles.
Fine motor activities are playful tasks that help toddlers practice using the small muscles in their hands and fingers. They’re important for toddler development because these activities:
Experiences that provide opportunities to stack, grab, string, squish, push or pull are all great ways of building these muscles!
ALL IMPORTANT LIFE SKILLS FOR OUR LITTLES!
Fine motor play helps toddlers grow stronger, smarter,
and more independent—all through simple, joyful activities.
Below, you’ll find a list of some of our favorite fine motor activities!
Each uses materials you’ll easily find around the house
and while each works well with toddlers,
most can be adapted to use with older Littles, as well!
In fact, we know plenty of preschoolers and early elementary Littles
who love them all!
A Colander & Pipe Cleaners!
Here’s a super simple, no prep activity that even older babies can use. All you need is a colander and some pipe cleaners (we cut ours in half for easier manipulating)!
For the youngest Littles, take a few pipe cleaners and thread them through the holes in the colander - even in and out! Let your Little pull out the pipe cleaners and then try to put them back into the colander, as well!
Toddlers will have fun adding their own pipe cleaners to the colander...
We added a few curlicues to our pipe cleaners above!
Older Littles can add a few extra challenges!
Look at the rainbow Laura’s Little L was busy creating!
The colander can be used in other ways, too!
You can even use a strainer to change things up!
It’s fun to make a web of pipe cleaners,
criss crossing through the center of the colander
and
it makes a great base for flower arranging, too!
Pick It Up!
Grab a pair of tongs and a large bowl plus several sheets of scrap paper. Crumple up each sheet of the paper and make a pile near your Little.
Look at Laurie's Little D! She picked up each paper ball with the tongs and moved each into the bowl. This would be a wonderful winter activity… think snowballs!
Give older Littles smaller tongs or tweezers and/or time how long it takes them to fill the bowl with the paper balls! You can also move the bowl further away from the paper balls for a traveling (walking) challenge!
A Paper Tube Tower!
Laura was looking for an easy activity to keep her Littles busy while she cooked! Her solution? She cut an empty paper towel roll into ½” - 1” sections (empty toilet paper tubes work well, too).
Then Little L strung the loops onto the empty paper towel holder! She had to reach and balance as she stretched to add each loop to the tower! Taking the loops off adds another layer to the activity, too!
Older Littles can count how many loops they add and can even practice their addition and subtraction facts as they do so!
Make It Simple with Post It Notes!
Go back to the simple life! Young Littles, like Laurie's Little P, love to unstick and stick Post It notes on doors or walls. It’s joyful and soothing for them! Give it a try!
Open It Up!
This was one of the first activities Laurie tried when her oldest Little was a toddler and then she shared it with Laura! It’s been a favorite for both of us ever since!
We each had one of these storage containers (or more) that had taken up space in our kids' rooms or classroom over the years. They are a little harder to find these days, but we did happen to find this one at a reasonable price if anyone is interested.
We come back to this activity frequently, because what Little doesn't love opening and closing things? We love filling the drawers with different items each time - plastic cookie cutters, little stuffed animals, seasonal items, hair accessories - just about anything works. Your Littles will love discovering what’s inside each drawer!
Your older Littles will love it if you give them the responsibility of locating items to fill the drawers with for their younger siblings!
Q-Tip Push!
This is an oldie but a goodie! Laura recycled an empty parmesan cheese jar and cleaned it out. This was the perfect vehicle for dropping Q-tips into the smaller holes on one side at the top.
Over the years, her Littles have also used this to drop cotton balls or pom poms through the larger hole.
Recently, we saw someone cut up plastic straws and use those instead of the Q-tips! We love using the same activity/materials but in new ways so we’ll definitely be giving this straw hack a try during an upcoming visit!
Free Those Animals - Part 1!
This activity never gets old! All you need is a muffin tin, some masking or painter’s tape and a collection of small toys or objects. We used plastic animals but you could also use any small objects you have available - toy cars, little dolls, play food - just change the title of the activity!
To prep the activity, we put one object in each hole of the muffin tin and then covered it with 1-2 strips of tape. That’s it! NOTE: Little L helped Laura prep the activity for her younger sister! Good fine motor fun for her, too!
Your toddler will love pulling the tape away
and all the stickiness that will ensue!
Free Those Animals - Part 2!
Same name, but different activity! For this activity you’ll need some wooden blocks (Legos or play train tracks work, too), rubber bands and a few plastic toys. Again, we used our favorite plastic animals!
To prep this activity, simply strap one plastic toy to one wooden block/lego, using a rubber band to do so. Wrap the rubber band around the block and toy at least two times.
NOTE: These are so easy to prep, we usually have them on hand, ready for our Littles when needed!
When ready, Littles will push and pull and problem solve as they try to untangle the rubber band and free the plastic toy!
NOTE: If a rubber band seems too tricky for your Little, wrap a hair tie around the toy and block or even a piece of yarn around and around several times! Your Little will be equally challenged every time!
Where Is it?
Your Littles will get their fingers and hand muscles going with this activity! Wrap plastic animals or toy figures in Play-Doh.
Let your Little uncover each mound to discover what’s hiding in the Play-Doh!
A Fun Option for Older Littles: Use Scrabble tiles for school age Littles. Have them unscramble the hidden word once they find all their tiles!
Sticker Time!
We've saved the sweetest idea for last! Plus, all you need is a sheet of favorite stickers and you're all set!
Take turns putting stickers on one of your favorite grown ups! (Heart stickers if you have them!) Every time you stick one on, say “I love you!”
🖤 Can you feel the love? 🖤
By offering fine motor experiences, we give our Littles the chance to strengthen tiny muscles, build independence, and develop the skills they’ll need for everyday life and future learning—all while simply playing and having fun.
We hope our post has given you some easy ideas to try,
especially when you need a little something to do with your own young Littles!
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!
If you have any great ideas for activities or experiences
you’ve found meaningful with your own Littles,
PLEASE SHARE!
We learn so much from this community!
Leave your thoughts, ideas and insights with us
by commenting at the end of this post!
We’ll be back next Thursday with another new post,
Apple Adventures!
We love apple season and we'll be sharing a few activities and adventures with you all!
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Including other GRANDS who love spending time with their own Littles!
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We GRANDS cherish these toddler years because they are a season of pure discovery and delight. We love the way our young Littles see the world - with wide-eyed curiosity, bubbling giggles, and boundless energy that turns even the simplest moments into adventures. Their tiny hands and sweet voices remind us of life’s purest joys, while their hugs and snuggles wrap us in love that feels bigger than words! These little ones teach us daily to slow down, savor the simple things, and treasure the wonder of growing together.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
Sundays on Silverado from The House on Silverado
A Morning Cup of Joe from The Cottage Market
Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot from Scratch Made Food for Hungry People
Crazy Little Lovebirds from Crazy Little Lovebirds
Will Blog for Comments from Photo & Story Treasures
You are the Star from Moms are Frugal
You are the Star from At Home with Lisa
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Stopping in again with congratulations! :) This blog post is the Host's Choice from the Will Blog for Comments #69 linkup, so it will be in the spotlight throughout #70 (which is open an extra week). It will also be Pinned for wider visibility, too. You're welcome to save the "This Blog Post was a Featured Favorite" image there to share with your readers here to celebrate. :) Thanks for sharing your posts with us.
These are great fine motor activities for toddlers. We're featuring your post tomorrow at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party.
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
These are brilliant, as usual! I love the colander and pipe cleaners idea! Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #69 linkup. We hope to see you sharing more posts, old or new, at #70 which opens Monday. Have a great weekend!
Hi L & L, both your P's are just so gorgeous! I hope I get some grandbabies in my life one day and when I do I will be visiting your blog for ideas on what activities to do with them once they get a little older. You amaze me with your creative and fun ideas. Love how you can do them with things you have around the home and you know what, I recall that when I was a kid it was these kind of things that thrilled me the most! Thank you for linking up as part of our #WWWhimsy community xo
These are all great, and I love that they use items I already have in my home!