Kids love the hole puncher. Once they see the magic of pressing down and making tiny little circles, it is as if they just discovered chocolate-dipped Oreos. (now I am hungry) This preschool hole punching fine motor activity gives them life.
Simple activities learning through play are a slam dunk. Ditch the pencil gripper and improve handwriting with ideas such as this!
RELATED: Looking for more fine motor ideas? I’ve got a great list.
You may never look at a hole puncher the same.
This simple office supply we use now and again is a small hand-strengthening stunner. It will improve your child’s dexterity along with enhancing hand-eye coordination.
With this simple tool, your child works towards a better pencil grip as he plays.
Having fun through experiences is the perfect recipe for learning!
Who has time to search for ideas?
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Keep fine motor low key
If you’ve been here a while, you know I am pretty passionate about building hand strength through play. I have seen the transformation firsthand with two of my children.
Lurching over them as they use a marker isn’t going to get us anywhere. It leaves us all frustrated.
Children need simple play prompts to squeeze, grasp, and explore lines and curves.
RELATED: Did you know that art supplies also make terrific fine motor tools!
Supplies
When we first tried this activity, I used my heavy hole puncher. Since then, I’ve gotten a lot smarter and we now use the hole punch suggested below. Bonus, all the punched holes get stored inside!
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- Scrap paper
- Markers
- Tray – Use a sheet pan if you don’t already have something
Kid Hole Punchers
This is such a great set of hole punchers for kids. Keep around and invite children to free play with them when the activity ends.
Setting up this hole-punching activity took little effort
- First, I measure how deep my hole puncher can reach the mark I make on the paper.
- Next, I add an x around the perimeter. I may vary the placement, but I want to keep how deep the hole puncher can go in mind.
- Then, I created a second sheet with dots to offer a variation. You can also try this with small stickers!
After a minute of setup, I place the paper and hole puncher on a tray for my preschooler to come down to in the morning. We call these Breakfast Invitations to help us start the day with play.
As my four-year-old punches the hole, I am making breakfast and sipping my hot tea.
What is my preschooler learning?
As my preschooler punches holes, he holds a steady hand to reach the mark. As he closes the hole puncher, he is strengthening his hand muscles. All of this will improve cutting, buttoning, zipping, writing, and drawing over the years.
We like to do fine motor activities like this often.
- Sticker Pairs for toddlers
- Color by Number for preschoolers
- DIY Coin Bank for big kids
Add a few of these fine motor activities into your week and watch transformations in strength!
My first grader also wanted a way to play!
I put numbers on one side of the paper and sums on the other. His job was to find and punch the combinations for the total amount.
We can play this fine motor activity in a variety of ways.
- Punch the X
- Hole punch the dots
- Follow the pattern
- Punch the number sequence
- Hole punch the shapes
- Add two numbers and find the sum
With all these fine motor skill variations, you can play for days!
Which hole-punching activity will you try first?
