Thursday, December 29, 2011

How to Get 20 minutes of Free Time With This Fine Motor Activity

How to Improve Fine Motor Skills in Your Preschoolers and Get 20 Minutes of Free Time!
Sometimes we Moms just need 20 minutes of peace to do the dishes without someone climbing on the dishwasher door and/or pulling out clean steak knives.  I have devoted myself to finding activities that my kids can do that will keep them busy for awhile.  In the spirit of sharing my ideas, I have put together a video tutorial on one of my favorite indoor activities and also included some written instructions below.  This project is absolutely perfect for enhancing fine motor skills and even working on colors so the next time you need some free time, don't turn on the TV or the iPad, try this instead.  The video will tell you everything you need for this project, but you probably already have most of the supplies at home.  I will be featuring other projects in the future, but keep in mind this particular project is probably best for children aged three to three and half since there are sharp pins involved.  Here's to peaceful (and safe) dishwashing! 


First you will start with a standard pin cushion, normally used for sewing and some long push pins with a large head:
easy game for kids, push pins, fine motor for preschoolers
Next you will need either a Parmesan shaker, or if you can't find one of those, get creative.  I couldn't find one, so I bought a strainer at the dollar store and used the Cheerios cup:
Then you will give your young child the pin cushion and show her what to do.  The first time we played this game, she emptied out all the pins three different times for a total of over 30 minutes!
If you enjoyed this post, you will love our book!  Susan and I teamed up and released The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble, and Motivated to Learn in July, 2012.  If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you!  As we did above, we give you a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that you can do activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity.  Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!
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24 comments:

  1. This is really great! I'm going to share this with my daughter for the grandkids.
    I'm a new GFC follower from Hop 'til You Drop. http://www.grandmasguidetolife.blogspot.com

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  2. I am a new follower from Fun Friday blog hop, would love a follow back at lefthandedideas.com. I love the title of your blog it is fantastic.

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  3. Great idea for fine motor skills!
    Andrea
    myhomeschooltale.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi there just dropping by to show you some love from clairejustineoxox weekend blog hop. love the video

    http://www.modernmothersclub.com

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  5. Fantastic idea!! :) Happy New Year!!

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  6. Great idea. I will definitely use this when my daughter is older.

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  7. Great idea altho I favor playing hide n seek. I tell the kids to hide and then about 1/2 hour later I seek:)

    New follower from MeloMomma bloghop - love a follow back.

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  8. Great idea. I'm going to try this with my son.


    I'm stopping by from the hop and am a new pinterest, rss feed and gfc follower. Would love it if you'd visit my Facebook page
    http://www.facebook.com/myBabySleepGuide

    blog rss
    http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/

    and twitter page
    http://twitter.com/#!/babysleepguide/

    Thanks!
    Rachel

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  9. Hi, I'm here from the FNF hop. Very nice blog, and a great fine motor skills idea. I just followed you w/ GFC and joined your blog frog community. I hope you can do the same :) Cheryl
    http://hearttoheartathome.blogspot.com/

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  10. That is a really cute idea. I like it.

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  11. Great. I like your pincushion. New follower from the hop! Would you follow me back?
    evescrochet.blogspot.com

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  12. That is a clever idea, it would occupy my little girl for quite some time and don't we all need a bit of peace and quite sometimes.
    Thanks for linking up to Best of ideas for kids.

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  13. Hey There, I found you
    VIA the New Years Blog hop;
    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
    I'm now following you every which way I could find
    hope you can take a sec to check me out
    @ http://krystylco.blogspot.com/
    I'd love another follower <3

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  14. What a clever idea!
    Thanks for linking up to the Kid Blogger Network,
    Angelique and the other bloggers

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  15. This looks like a lot of fun!

    Stopping from the Kid Bloggers Hop!

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  16. Looks like fun,thank you for linking up with us at Creative Mondays :)

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  17. saying hi from

    http://morethanabcand123.blogspot.com/

    happy new year

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  18. Great fine motor activity! Thanks for sharing it. I'm visiting from the Best of 2011 linky. :) Kristi

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  19. What a fun idea! Thank you for sharing your ideas with us on The Sunday Showcase Have a happy New Year!

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  20. What a great idea. I will definitely have to give this a try. Thank you for sharing it at Sharing Saturday!

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  21. Also check that the ladder or steps leading up to the top bunk can accommodate the weight of your little one, and that the bed can support your child's weight. triple bunk bed

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  22. First, you want a single mattress it is assumed that it fits your current bed frame and your sleeping habits. Volvo mattress

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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