Fine Motor Skills for 2 Year Olds: 32 Activities to Support Your Child’s Fine Motor Development
Fine motor skills play an important role in our daily lives – yes, even in our technology driven world! They help us get dressed in the morning, write our to-do list, wash our hair, draw, squeeze lemons, put on makeup, brush our teeth, and (much) more. Fine motor skills don’t just show up one day and we have them for life – it takes time to build our muscles & coordination.
In this post we are going to focus on fine motor skills for two year olds & what you can do to help them continue to develop their skills. First let’s make sure we have developmentally appropriate expectations for your two year old’s fine motor skills.
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Fine Motor Skills for 2 Year Olds: Developmentally Appropriate Expectations
At two years old your child’s brain is still figuring out where their body is in space. Around the age of 2 your child should be able to –
- Hold crayons with a digital pronated grasp.
- Nest or stack objects.
- Turn knobs to open doors.
- Make stirring movements.
- Cut dough with cookie cutters.
- String 1” beads.
- Unscrew a 3” lid.
- Complete simple inset puzzles.
- Scribble on a piece of paper (scribbling off the paper happens less frequently)
- Hold scissors correctly & snip paper or dough. *If your child hasn’t been to Prek, or been exposed to cutting, they might not be able to do this.
Now that we have developmentally appropriate expectations, let’s look at fine motor activities that will fine tune their skills.
Fine Motor Activities for 2 Year Olds
As mentioned before, at this age your child is still figuring out where their body is in space. To support their fine motor skill development, we like to focus on gross motor activities & tactile play. These activities will help their brain understand where their hands & fingers are, and start to develop coordination.
Another way to think about it, is that these activities help their brain develop a three dimensional understanding of their body. Gross motor activities & tactile play will set the foundation they need to develop higher level fine motor skills later in life.
Here are some of our favorite gross motor & tactile play activities we suggest you prioritize doing with your two year old –
Gross Motor Activities
- Jumping on a Mat or Mini Trampoline – Start with small jumps in place for coordination and balance.
- Dancing to Music – Freeze dance, clap to rhythm, or follow movement songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
- Climbing Over Couch Cushions or Soft Obstacles – Make a toddler-safe obstacle course indoors.
- Ball Play – Rolling, kicking, tossing, and catching with various sizes of balls.
- Push and Pull Toys – Shopping carts, toy vacuums, or wagons promote walking and trunk strength.
- Animal Walks – Pretend to be a bear, crab, frog, or bunny and race down the hall!
- Balance Beam Walk – Use a strip of painter’s tape on the floor and practice “walking the line.”
- Step Climbing (with supervision) – Practice stepping up/down low steps or stairs holding a hand.
- Tunnel Crawling – Use a pop-up tunnel or make one with chairs and blankets.
- Outdoor Play – Running, climbing, swinging – parks and backyards are perfect for natural movement exploration.
Tactile Play Activities
- Play Dough Play – Roll, squish, poke, press with fingers, or use cookie cutters and rollers.
- Finger Painting – Use washable, non-toxic paint on paper, foil, or plastic trays.
- Sensory Bins – Fill bins with materials like dry rice or beans, kinetic sand or moon sand, water beads (with supervision!), pom-poms or cotton balls. Hide figurines to encourage imaginary play, or have small cups and utensils for building exploration.
- Water Play – Pour, scoop, and splash in a bin or sink with cups, toys, and sponges.
- Foam or Shaving Cream Play – Squish and swirl on trays or windows—great for messy tactile exploration.
- Bubble Wrap Stomping or Popping – Tape it to the floor or table and let them press or stomp on it.
- Sticky Wall Play – Tape contact paper (sticky side out) on a wall and let them stick soft items like feathers, felt, or paper.
- Cornmeal or Flour Drawing Tray – Sprinkle a thin layer in a tray and let them draw with fingers or a brush.
- Nature Touch Basket – Fill with safe natural items: pinecones, bark, moss, stones, leaves—encourage describing how they feel.
- Oobleck (Cornstarch + Water) – Magical texture: solid when squeezed, liquid when relaxed. Messy but fascinating!
- Fabric Sensory Bag or Board – Include items like silk, velvet, denim, and fleece to explore textures.
- Cold/Warm Object Play – Offer safe items with different temperatures (e.g., chilled spoons, warm cloth) for contrast.
- Cooked Pasta or Jelly Bin – Let them squish, scoop, and play with slippery textures.
- Spaghetti Rescue Game – Hide toys in cooked spaghetti and have your toddler “rescue” them using tongs or fingers.
- Foot Sensory Walk – Create a “texture path” with bubble wrap, grass mats, squishy pillows, and sandpaper for barefoot walking.
Lastly, if you are looking for even more ideas, here are a few fine motor activities that will help build finger strength, coordination, & control –
Fine Motor Activities
- Stringing Large Beads – Use chunky beads or pasta with shoelaces or pipe cleaners.
- Simple Puzzles (3–6 pieces) – Encourage matching shapes and placing pieces in correct spots.
- Crayon or Marker Drawing – Let them scribble, draw lines, and experiment with circles
- Cutting with Toddler Scissors – Begin with snipping strips of paper or play dough.
- Velcro and Button Boards – Practice fastening and unfastening—also great for daily life skills.
- Building with Duplo Blocks – Snapping and stacking requires finger strength and control.
- Using Clothespins or Clips – Pin them onto a string or container edge for grip strength.
Toys to Develop Fine Motor Skills for 2 Year Olds
Here’s the thing – you don’t have to have a lot of fancy toys to support your child’s fine motor skill development. Usually you can use items that you already have on hand! If you are looking for guidance on what items to stock up on, we recommend making sure you have toys (tools) for gross motor play & tactile/fine motor play.
For gross motor activities, there really is a lot of flexibility. You can make due with what you have on hand, but if you are looking to create the ultimate gross motor set up, here are a few items we would recommend –
Toys for Gross Motor Skills
One way to ensure you have materials for tactile/fine motor play is to have a dedicated basket where you can find everything you need. It could also be helpful to print off & laminate a list of tactile or fine motor activities (like the one provided in this post) to keep in the basket as inspiration.
Fine Motor Skills Activity Basket Materials List
Signs Your 2 Year Old Needs to See an OT for Fine Motor Challenges*
Your child may need extra support from a hand specialist, like an occupational therapist, if they repeatedly struggle with the skills mentioned at the beginning of this post after continued exposure & opportunities to practice the skills.
Here are a few other signs your child might need support –
- They frequently have a hard time grasping items & frequently drop things
- They are not interested in drawing or scribbling
- They frequently have trouble picking up small objects
- They aren’t using two hands to grab items like cups or bowls
- They frequently have difficulty holding utensils
- They frequently have a hard time stacking blocks
- They have trouble with puzzles
- They frequently have trouble with manipulating small objects
The key word here is frequently. It’s normal for your child to have moments where they struggle with their fine motor skills because they are still developing. If you notice a pattern, that is when you will want to reach out.
Fine motor skills are life skills! These fine motor, gross motor, & tactile play activities will set your two year old up for success as they continue to grow. Make sure your expectations are developmentally appropriate & don’t rush the process. Developing gross motor skills & coordination takes time, so enjoy the journey!
If you are concerned about your child’s development, we recommend you reach out to an occupational therapist to get a second opinion. Are you located near Sandy Springs, Georgia? We’d love to support you in person at our pediatric occupational therapy clinic. The best way to reach out is to fill out our contact form. We’d be happy to help!
Make sure to check out our handwriting resources & join our mailing list to receive up to date information and resources about your child’s development.
*This information is for educational & information purposes only. This information is not medical advice & does not replace working with an occupational therapist or other qualified medical professional.
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