Water Play Fine Motor Challenge
Most kids love the opportunity to learn through the senses. So what could be more fun than a water play fine motor challenge activity?
Water play can be so calming.
Get our THIS LITTLE HOME OF MINE nEWSLETTER
Delivered directly to your inbox!
It can feel therapeutic in a way – calming, soothing, and relaxing in a way that many other activities are not.
From the time my kids were little, I could give them a small container of water and some plastic toy animals and they would busy themselves for an extended time.
Add a few smaller containers along with some fun kid-safe kitchen utensils, and maybe even some measuring spoons, and the fun only continued.
As those first little ones I had started to get older and some of their interest in this kind of thing changed, I adjusted the activities and tools I offered.
They enjoyed writing and painting with water!
They, of course, loved and experiments that involved water…
…and the activity I’m sharing today quickly became a favorite for them and for their siblings to come!
Fine Motor Activity Idea
Supplies for the Challenge
To get started, you need:
- Bathtub Gripper Dot
- Water Dropper/Medicine Dropper of Some Kind
- Water
How to Do the Challenge
Use the water dropper from this set of fine motor tools to see how many drops of water you can get on each of the suction cups.
Before you get started, maybe make some guesses – the actual results might surprise you!
For some younger kids, this activity can lead to some frustration, but I’ve found it to be a hit with kids that have a bit more fine motor control.
Activities like these not only strengthen hands, but also build hand-eye coordination – all while students are having fun exploring with their senses!
The first time one of my daughters tried this activity, she did a little bit of experimenting.
She wanted to see if pouring water onto the suction cups would work.
She was quickly frustrated by this, realizing that the water dropper was going to be a much more controlled way to get water droplets onto the suction cups.
Another Way to Try this Water Activity
Don’t have any of these non-skid bathtub dots?
Try using a coin!
Use that same water dropper or medicine dropper to see how many droplets of water you can get on the head (or tail) of a coin.
Art Class for 8-12 Year Olds
We found an Outschool class will guide your older elementary/middle school students through drawing 3-D Water Droplets.
A couple of my kids have taken this class and loved it!
Just be sure to use this link for $20 toward your classes on Outschool!
Note: If a teacher is not showing any upcoming classes, simply send them a message and let them know you’d like to schedule one! That’s what we did for this particular class.
Idea for Younger Siblings
Have younger siblings close by who would like to be involved?
Trust me, I understand these family-style learning dynamics.
While the older kids are experimenting with the water dropper, your younger kids can strengthen their hands by using their pincer grasp or tweezers to play craft poms on the suction cups of the bathtub dots instead.
Does your child want to learn to play chess?