Great Maker Tools for Kids
Activities We Love For Fine Motor Skills
As STEAM teachers, Lauren and I plan a lot of open ended, hands-on activities. These activities are vital for the development of fine motor skills. Fine motor skills involve the use of the muscles that control the hand, fingers, and thumb. They help children perform important tasks like feeding themselves, grasping toys, buttoning and zipping clothes, writing, drawing, and more. The ability to complete self-care and every day tasks helps to build a child’s self-esteem and confidence.
It’s important to start working with children on building their fine motor skills early on. Fine motor skills will develop and improve as they move through childhood. It just takes the right kind of practice. Two of our favorite ways to build fine motor skills are building with Makedo and Strawbees.
Makedo is a simple to use, open-ended system of tools for creative cardboard construction. Makedo allows children to build imaginative and useful creations from upcycled (repurposed) everyday cardboard.
Makedo is a fabulous open-ended toy construction system. We have always found their tools to be sturdy and well-made. And we get to be even more creative with our favorite, ever-versatile material: cardboard!
The other tool we love is Strawbees. As Strawbees’s website states, “The power of the Strawbees building system is speed, simplicity, and scale.” Strawbees are what they sound like- straws! But they are a unique building system that employs connectors that look like keys that can be used in a variety of ways.
There are 4 types of connectors and 5 different cut straw lengths cut all color-coded making it easy to follow the activity instructions.
All materials are durable and reusable – finish building, disassemble, and begin a new project.
Strawbees are a great way to incorporate self-oriented play into a child’s day. Extend learning at home for young makers and build creative thinking skills to invent anything you can imagine.
Our DIY Maker Kits use both Strawbees and Makedo! If you want to try a sample of each one, plus other fun building materials, see our kit below!