50 Fine Motor Occupational Therapy Activities at Home

Are you in search of easy, fine motor, occupational therapy activities at home that parents can do with their children? Activities that are simple to carry out should be short, use materials from around the house and be motivating to the kids. Ask your child’s Occupational Therapist what the best activity suggestions are for your child.

10 Suggestions To Warm Up – Occupational Therapy for Kids at Home

Often times, children benefit from starting out occupational therapy activities at home with proprioceptive exercises (otherwise known as heavy work). Here are 10 suggestions for proprioceptive input suggestions for small spaces. You can download a FREE printable of 25 heavy work ideas for small spaces below.

1. Chair Push Ups:  Sitting with upright posture in a classroom chair, the child put his/her hands on the side of the seat.  The child lifts and holds his/her bottom up off the seat for 3-5 seconds and then slowly lowers back down into the chair.
2. Bear hugs – Wrap your arms around your chest or knees and give yourself a big, firm hug.
3. Squeezing putty or play dough
4. Yoga Poses
5. Pulling resistance bands with hands – if you do not have resistance bands play tug of war with a bath towel.
6. Playing passing games like Hot Potato with heavy stuffed animals.
7. Weighted sensory bottles (make your own with colorful water)
8. Animal walks
9. Wall Push Ups:  Put both hands on the wall with the feet a little farther than arm’s length back from the wall.   Lean your body towards the wall and back out.  Another option is to just push both hands against the wall for 5-10 seconds with arms extended.
10. Carry Heavy Books:  Give the child a job to organize or hand out heavy books.

Download your FREE HANDOUT on 25 Heavy Work Activity Ideas for Small Spaces

Sign up to receive the weekly Your Therapy Source email newsletter and announcements. After you enter your email, you will be redirected to the FREE handout of proprioceptive input ideas from the Handouts for Pediatric Therapists, Parents, and Teachers packet. . If you can not see the sign up box, send us an email at info@yourtherapysource.com referencing the freebie and we will email it to you.

50 Occupational Therapy Activities at Home to Practice Fine Motor Skills

This list is part of the Fine Motor Breaks download. This occupational therapy at home activities pdf download is a collection of 60+ fine motor activity cards.  The fine motor breaks are simple.  The activity ideas require basic supplies that are available around the house or classroom.   Create note pads with the cards so that parents and teachers can perform activity and tear it off pad.  Try creating our fine motor mailboxes with a shoe box to encourage the use of the cards.  Also included is a poem poster to recite to warm up the hands before the fine motor breaks. Get the complete printable version here.

Here are 50 fine motor occupational therapy activities for at home. Remember check with your child’s OT or physician if you have any questions. Try some of these super fun ot for kids activities today!

1. Play with puzzles. Here are 10 homemade puzzles you can make at home.
2. Roll out snakes with play dough.
3. Use tweezers to pick up small objects.
4. Pick up coins and put in a bank.
5. Make toothpick sculptures with marshmallows.
6. Use a hole punch to make designs in a piece of paper (kids LOVE this one).
7. String macaroni or cereal on yarn.
8. Shred paper by tearing it into strips.
9. Play any game where you have to shake dice.
10. Play any card game.
11. Use stickers on paper.
12. Finger paint (use corn starch, food coloring and water for homemade finger paints).
13. Sort small items such as cotton balls or beads.
14. Play with interlocking blocks like Legos.
15. Perform finger play songs ie Itsy Bitsy Spider.
16. Paint a picture using Q-tips.
17. Wrap small boxes with wrapping paper.
18. Color in a picture using small crayons.
19. Sort different small pasta shapes.
20. Build towers with small blocks.
21. Use spoons to transfer small objects from one dish to another.
22. Cut out pictures and glue on paper to make a collage.
23. Cut out different shapes and make a collage.
24. Cut out strips of paper and make a paper chain.
25. Make a bookmark.
26. Cut up cereal boxes or junk mail.
27. Use cookie cutters for stencils.
28. Create a paperclip chain.
29. Play tic tac toe with raisins or small cereal.
30. Tape paper on the wall and draw a picture.
31. Hang doll clothes up on a pretend play clothes line.
32. Use a spray bottle with water.
33. Play with finger puppets.
34. Make a paper airplane.
35. Trace your hand on paper and color it in.
36. Cut up a picture into pieces to make your own puzzle.
37. Practice tying your shoes.
38. Pop bubble wrap.
39. Make a lacing card with cardboard with a hole punch. Use yarn to sew the shape.
40. Practice flipping over one card at a time from a deck of cards.
41. Collect recycled toilet paper cardboard rolls and string together using yarn.
42. Play with small sponges in water.
43. Color a design on paper, fold it and make a fan.
44. Play a hand clapping game with a friend.
45. Draw a self portrait.
46. Make your own book using paper and a stapler. Keep a journal.
47. Make small balls out of clay.
48. Use sidewalk chalk.
49. Try putting hair elastics or rubber bands around different sized objects.
50. Make confetti by tearing up recycled paper.

All of these occupational therapy activities for home are included in the Fine Motor Breaks digital download along with 27 handwriting practice ideas.

More Fine Motor Resources for Occupational Therapy Activities at Home

Fine Motor Board Games digital download includes 12 no-prep games to print and play to encourage fine motor skill development throughout the year. Are your students tired of routine fine motor practice? Add these FUN games to your fine motor toolkit to keep children engaged and improving their skills at the same time!

This packet was created by Regina Parsons-Allen, a pediatric certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.  It is also part of the Fine Motor and Handwriting Bundle.

Need More Occupational Therapy Activities at Home?

With the busy schedules of today’s families, it can be so difficult to allocate time to practice all the skills necessary.  This list of 50 bimanual activities of daily living, the skills can be practiced throughout the normal routine of the day at home and school. These occupational therapy activities at home are easy to carry out. 

Remember, the best way to reach your goals when it comes to fine motor skills (or any skills) is to build upon a child’s strengths. Read more here.

Want more activities to strengthen the fingers and hands for occupational therapy fine motor skills? Read this post on hand strengthening activity ideas.

Check out more activities and ideas for fine motor skills here.

Check out more FREE STUFF here to help!

When Should You Complete these Occupational Therapy Activities at Home?

These ot activities are great to practice occupational therapy at home for autism, fine motor delays, and ALL children! These types of occupational therapy fine motor skills activities and games are wonderful to use as:

• boredom busters,
• engaging activities as occupational therapy for toddlers, preschoolers and older children.
• rainy day fun
• anytime a child unplugs
• carry over occupational therapy exercises for children who receive OT services.

Related Posts and Products

Occupational Therapy – Fine Motor Skills Centers

OT Lesson Plans for 52 Weeks

To celebrate OT month (or to celebrate Occupational Therapy anytime of year) we have a great FREE Occupational Therapy activity packet for you to download!

Read more fine motor skills and activity ideas here.