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Fine Motor Bear Grab

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Fine motor bear grab elevates imaginary play and invites children to practice fine motor movements. The truth is, my almost five-year-old designed this activity for me. “Hey, Mom, I made you an activity. Come look.” He didn’t know he was doing a fine motor activity, but he did know he was learning through play! When I went to the activity, I gasped! What an adorable fine motor idea. This preschool activity must be shared with YOU for your next easy preschool learning activity.

My son titled this one Save the Sinking Bears. The mission is to move them all safely into the boat. Yes, and yes!

Preschooler using plastic tongs to pick up small toy bears from a sheet of blue paper.

Why are fine motor activities important?

Fine motor skills help a child strengthen the small muscles in their hands. We practice this because improving strength also helps encourage children with:

Phew! These sure are some essential life skills to practice!

The more we squeeze and move little fingers, the more prepared they will be for the skills listed above. This 25+ Ideas to Help Pencil Grip post shows how we prepare for pencil grip. Writing prep happens long before holding a pencil to form letters.

Four-year-old grabbing a blue plastic bear with purple tongs.

Tongs are a great tool for fine motor

Here, my almost five-year-old is using tongs to rescue the sinking bears.

As he squeezes the tongs, he is also strengthening his small hand muscles. We keep these tongs in our play space, and I have seen so much development and progress over time.

We’ve used these tongs for years with activities such as:

There are so many fun ways to practice fine motor skills! Supplies for preschoolers need to be kept simple. Do not think that you need all the bells and whistles. Look how simple this supply list is here.

Preschooler using purple plastic tongs to grab a red bear from blue paper.

Setting up Fine Motor Bear Grab
  1. Place a piece of blue paper on the table to represent water. If you do not have blue paper, try using white and adding a marker with a blue marker.
  2. Place the counting bears on the paper.
  3. Place a simple DIY boat made from recycled materials to the right of the water. Now your toddler or preschooler will move from the left to the right to prepare for reading and writing.
Preschooler dropping a plastic red bear in a clear container using tongs to improve fine motor grip.

Supplies:

Once you find your plastic container and blue paper, I have a few suggested supplies that work to improve fine motor strength.

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Fine motor tool set for kids.

Helping Hands Fine Motor Tools

A pack of fine motor supplies in one place? Yes, please! This pack gives your child the option of using tweezers or squeeze tongs.

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Counting bears toy for kids.

Counting Bears

Whoop! Whoop! Add this to the list of the top five as well. Again, I use these bears both in the classroom and at home. Sort them by color, separate them by size, or integrate them into imaginary play. WE LOVE THESE BEARS!

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Additional activities for counting bears

We use these bears a lot over here. Here are five more ways to play with the counting bears.

  1. Bear Soup
  2. Bears in Kinetic Sand
  3. Color Sorting Bear Caves
  4. Ice Skating Counting Bears
  5. Preschool Bear Counting Graph
toddler and preschool activities

Craving a calmer morning?

Breakfast Invitations are simple learning games to begin the day with play.

I WANT TO GET STARTED!

FAQ
What activities do you do in preschool?

Preschool should be a time to create and explore new ideas. We want our early learners to transport objects, discover color combinations, sort, classify, design, connect, and investigate new ideas. We can do this with hands-on preschool activities – NOT worksheets. Use these preschool activity cards with your child.

What are fine skills?

Fine motor skills are activities that involve small hand and wrist movements. It’s essential to use activities for fine motor skills in early learners to prepare their hands for fiddly things. For example, writing, zipping, shoe tying, and so much more.

How do you teach toddlers to write?

Fine motor activities for toddlers and preschoolers are an excellent tool when learning how to write. Cutting, grasping, making lines, squeezing, and squirting are all great ways to improve hand strength.

Four-year-old grabbing a blue plastic bear with purple tongs.
Print

Fine Motor Bear Grab
Fine motor activity to strengthen small hand muscles. Use imaginary play to encourage your toddler or preschooler to explore using tweezers.
Prep Time3 minutes
Active Time12 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Keyword: fine motor activities, preschool activity

Materials

  • blue paper
  • kid tweezers or tongs
  • clear container
  • counting bears

Instructions

  • Place a piece of blue paper on the table to represent water. If you do not have blue paper, try using white and adding a marker with a blue marker.
  • Place the counting bears on the paper.
  • Place a simple DIY boat made from recycled materials to the right of the water. Now your toddler or preschooler will move from the left to the right to prepare for reading and writing.

Notes

NOTES: The more we squeeze and move little fingers, the more prepared they will be for the abovementioned skills. This 25+ Ideas to Help Pencil Grip post shows how we prepare for pencil grip. Writing prep happens long before holding a pencil to form letters.