25 Fine Motor Skills Activities To Do At Home With Kids

If you have heard that the rules around mobile phones and electronic devices in early childhood settings have changed, you are right. If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, these changes are already in effect.

Here is a plain-English breakdown of what changed, why it happened, and what it means for your family.

Why Did the Laws Change?

The changes were introduced as a child safety measure. In 2025, Australia’s Education Ministers agreed to amend the Education and Care Services National Law to address concerns about the potential for personal devices to be used to capture, store, or transmit images of children in care without authorisation.

The intent is straightforward: children in early learning settings deserve an environment where their privacy and safety are actively protected.

What Changed Nationally

From 27 February 2026, amendments to the national Education and Care Services National Law took effect across Australia. Under these changes, educators and staff who work directly with children are restricted from using personal electronic devices in care settings.

Before this, from 1 September 2025, all early childhood education and care services nationwide were required to have written policies in place addressing the use of digital devices.

What Changed in NSW

NSW moved ahead of the national timeline. The Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2025 took effect on 6 November 2025, applying across NSW’s 6,000 or more early learning services, including long day care centres, preschools, and family day care.

Under this order, educators and staff must use service-issued or service-authorised devices rather than their own personal devices when working directly with children.

What Counts as a Personal Device?

The definition is broad. A personal device is any device owned by an individual (not the approved provider) that is capable of capturing, storing, or transmitting an image. This includes:

Mobile phones
Smartwatches
Cameras and tablets
iPads and laptops
Hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards
Wearables such as camera glasses

Who Does the Ban Apply To?

The restrictions apply to anyone working directly with children at a service, including permanent and casual educators, students on placement, volunteers, contractors, and allied health professionals delivering programs on-site.

Parents, carers, and other visitors are not covered by the ban. In NSW, parents and carers remain free to use their personal devices during drop-off, pick-up, centre visits, and events involving their own children. There are also authorised exceptions for essential purposes, including emergencies and health or disability support needs.

What About Screen Time for Children?

These new laws specifically address staff device use, not children’s screen time. Screen time limits for young children are not mandated within childcare regulation at a national level.

The relevant guidance comes from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, which recommend no screen time for children under 2 years, and no more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 5 years. These are health guidelines, not regulatory requirements.

What This Means for Your Family

If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, their service is already required to operate under these rules. Any educator or staff member working directly with your child should not be using a personal device to take photos or videos. Only service-authorised devices should be used for that purpose.

If you have questions about how your centre handles digital devices or image capture, you are well within your rights to ask. Most services will have a written policy in place that covers exactly this.

At Clovel, the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is at the heart of everything we do. If you would like to know more about how we support your child across our centres, we would love to have that conversation with you.

At Clovel Childcare, our ethos revolves around creating an environment full of love, where children have the freedom and facilities to explore through play. Our approach is built around nurturing their development in a fun, supportive way. One of the most fundamental aspects of development is strengthening fine motor skills in toddlers.

Today, we are going to explore 25 proven fine motor skills activities that you can try at home. Each one can play a significant part in building strength, coordination, and independence. If you would like to learn more about hand coordination exercises for children, this blog is for you.

What Are Fine Motor Skills and Why Do They Matter?

Fine motor skills refer to the amount of control children have over small muscles in their hands and fingers. They are an essential part of everyday life, and with the right motor skills, they can develop skills like writing, buttoning clothes, using cutlery, tying their shoelaces and more.

Some examples of everyday fine motor skill tasks include holding pencils and crayons, eating with a spoon, zipping up a jacket, or turning the pages in a book. To support early fine motor development and boost school readiness, self-care, and confidence, we include plenty of preschool craft activities and games. Many of these are perfect for developing motor skills at home, so have a read and start supporting your child with these fine motor skills activities.

25 Fine Motor Skills Activities for Kids to Do at Home

Here are 25 ways your children can start developing motor skills at home. Each of these child motor skills games and activities has been proven to provide the best start for toddlers, and you don’t need to be an expert to try them.

Sensory Play Activities

1. Playdough Squeezing and Moulding:

Allowing children to squish and shape playdough significantly enhances their finger strength and creativity.

2. Pom-Pom Sorting with Tongs:

By using tweezers or kitchen tongs to arrange pom-poms by colour, you can help them improve pincer grip and coordination.

3. Sensory Rice and Bean Bins:

Fill a bin with rice or dried beans and let your child dig, pour, and scoop.

4. Water Play with Sponge Squeezing:

One of the most fun fine motor skills activities; playing with water during bathtime is perfect for muscle tone.

5. Finger Painting:

Let them get messy and practice their finger isolation techniques and hand movement.

6.Sale Tray Writing:

This is great for early child motor development. Simply pour salt or sand into a tray and let them trace letters and shapes with their fingers.

7. Feather Blowing Maze:

This can be a little complex to set up, but it is perfect for developing motor skills at home. Create a maze using tape and encourage your child to blow a feather through it using a straw. This one can massively improve their breath control and focus, too.

Arts and Crafts Activities

Scissor Skills with Coloured Paper:

By cutting lines, children develop much better hand coordination and control.

Paper Tearing and Glueing:

An activity as simple as this encourages creativity while building strength in their fingers.

Sticker Peeling and Placing:

This is always fun and can help improve their finger dexterity and pincer strength.

Bead Threading on Pipe Cleaners or String:

This is one of the most calming fine motor skills activities and significantly enhances their hand-eye coordination and patience.

Lacing Yarn Through Paper Plates:

If you punch some holes in a paper plate, they can have lots of fun lacing yarn while improving their hand-eye coordination.

Sponge Stamping:

Dipping sponges in paint and stamping them on paper is a fun, creative activity for strengthening motor skills in toddlers, allowing them to practice repetition and improve grip.

Cotton Bud Painting:

Using cotton buds for painting is perfect for detailed dabbing and dot work.

DIY Pasta Necklace:

This is one of the most popular preschool craft activities. By painting and threading dry pasta, they can create something fun and functional.

Tools and Object Manipulation

Tong Transfer Challenge:

Using tongs to transfer things from one bowl to another is brilliant for building precision and strength.

Velcro Dot Peeling and Sticking:

You can do this on walls or a board, and it is excellent resistance training for little ones.

Buttoning Shirts on Dolls

Using dolls, you can practice real-life dressing skills, an essential aspect of preparation for the real world.

Opening and Closing Small Containers or Ziplocks:

Allowing kids to open their own snacks boosts strength, coordination, and helps them gain independence.

Nuts and Bolts Boards:

Twisting bolts onto matching nuts is perfect for grip, coordination, and patience.

Fun Games and Challenges

Lacing Cards:

Store-bought DIY cards with holes to thread shoelaces are a brilliant pre-writing activity.

Posting Coins or Beads Through a Slit in a Box:

Simple but effective, cutting slits in a container to post items through it is a fun way to enhance fine motor skills.

“Feed the Animal” Cut-Out Game:

By creating cardboard animals with a mouth hole, your kids can feed them buttons, pom-poms, and other suitable items.

Obstacle Course with Crawling and Object Pick-Up:

Create an obstacle course with small challenges, such as picking up balls to combine gross and fine motor skill play.

Toss-and-Catch Balloon or Beanbag Game:

Throwing and catching soft objects improves hand-eye coordination and timing.

How Clovel Supports Finer Motor Growth Through Play

At Clovel Childcare, we share a philosophy that children learn best through love and play. Fine motor skills activities are a critical component of our play-based curriculum, and we integrate them into everything we do. Whether through painting, puzzle solving, sensory exploration, or story-based play, we give children constant opportunities to strengthen their fine motor abilities. We offer both group activities and one-on-one support, ensuring every child is catered for. Our child motor skills games are incorporated into literacy development, numeracy and maths, physical activities, performing arts, and science and technology.

FAQs About Fine Motor Skills Activities

What are the best motor skills activities for toddlers?

Toddlers love simple, tactile, and creative activities, such as tearing paper, stacking blocks, playing with playdough, or scooping rice and water.

How often should my child do these activities?

Children need 10-20 minutes each day, but incorporating them into every possible activity is the best way.

Are fine motor skills activities for babies or preschoolers?

There are fine motor skills activities for both. Babies need to focus on grasping, reaching, and hand exploration, whereas preschoolers enjoy activities such as cutting, drawing, and dressing themselves.

What if my child avoids fine motor skills?

Start off with fun, low-pressure activities like sensory bins, stickers, and sponge play, gradually introducing more complex activities as their confidence grows.

Ready to Watch your Child Thrive?

If you would like your child to be part of an environment where they can thrive, book a tour at Clovel Childcare today. Our preschool program is designed and carried out by education experts who know how to facilitate the best learning environment for every child.

Lyn Connolly

Founder and Company Director

Lyn Connolly is the Founder and Company Director of Clovel Childcare & Early Learning Centres, a family‑owned group of eight centres across Western Sydney established from her first service at Merrylands. Active in early childhood education since 1977, she also serves as President of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW, representing providers in state and federal consultations, media, and public hearings.