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In this gift guide, it won't focus too much on the age rather the area of development it addresses. Below is a guide on great fine motor, gross motor, sensory toys and stocking stuffers for a variety of ages!
Fine Motor:
Helping Hands Fine Motor Set: This has a variety of different tools that can target hand strength, fine motor precision, and early scissor skills!
Wooden Lacing Apple: Lacing is a BIG fine motor task. Having a bigger thread to hold onto can help those little fingers develop those fine motor precision skills!
Wooden Carrot Pegs: I love these wooden pegs for working on fine motor and visual motor skills! They also vary in sizes so it takes some problem solving to find the correct peg hole!
Small Link Rings: These are similar to the link rings as previously posted but these are smaller to work on the fine motor precision skills and it also addresses bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together)
Jumbo Nuts & Bolts: These are good for those smaller hands. It addresses fine motor and visual motor skills. You can match the shapes and then screw on the top. This is a good precursor skill to work on that helps with opening jars or bottles when they are older.
Wooden Letter Practice: I love this when working on handwriting and letter formation. It also, comes with a wooden dowel pencil that you can address pencil grasp. There are are upper and lowercase ones that have the arrows for correct letter formation!
Button Puzzle: I love these little button puzzles. They are small and short pegs that you can match colors of a design. They require hand strength to push down and into the puzzle to complete the design!
Piggy Bank w/ Coins: Putting coins in the piggy bank is a great way for your little one to learn cause and effect, problem solving, uses fine motor skills to pick up the coin and visual motor skills to place into the slot.
Design and Drill: A great activity to screw in screws on a board with either your fingers or using the drill. You can use the designs or make your own! This is super adaptable for older or younger kids!
Developmental Play Kit: LovEvery has amazing developmental, montessori inspired toys. I highly suggest checking them out or even gifting to someone for the holidays!
Gross Motor:
Lily & River Little Climber Set: I love this set! It is great for climbing, motor planning and will be sure to keep them occupied! There are so many different things that can be made out of this (OBSTACLE COURSE!) It is also super customizable :)
Lily & River Little Rocker Set: This set is a 2 in 1. On one side it is a rocker which is great for balance and developing the vestibular system and then on the other side is a climbing side that can be a great addition to the Little Climber Set! This also addresses balance, gross motor, climbing and motor planning.
Stepping Stones: Stepping stones are another great way to work on balance and motor planning. Also is a great addition to an obstacle course! Kids love to play "floor is lava" with these!
Climb & Crawl Foam Shapes: These shapes are awesome for those developing their gross motor skills with crawling, climbing, sliding, etc. They are also rearrangeable and soft!
Hover Ball: This hover ball is SO cool! It uses a fan to hover above the floor you can use it to practice standing on one leg to kick or you can lay on the floor and push it back and forth! This toy will be a HIT!
Stomp Rocket: Another super fun toy that works on single leg balance to stomp on a rocket. I remember these as a kid and they are still as fun today!
Scooter Board: Okay, who remembers these from PE class!? I love using these in therapy. There are so many different ways you can use them! They are great for core strength, leg strength, bilateral coordination skill and motor planning! I suggest ordering at least 2 (so you can race!) or put them together!
Hopscotch and Bean Bags: Another staple from our childhood but is so important for development. It requires both sides of your brain to work while you are using both of your legs to jump in and out! You can also use the bean bags for other things besides in the hopscotch.
Toddler Vacuum: Monkey see, Monkey do! Your little one might have an interest in helping you clean when they see you vacuum. This little vacuum is great for those gross motor skills while they push the vacuum around the house. You can use the wooden discs as the "dirt" they are cleaning up!
Sensory Toys:
Kinetic Sand: One of my favorite sensory tools! It a fun and different texture but it also works on hand strengthening and fine motor tasks as well.
Sensory Bin: I love that these come with everything you would need for a sensory bin! This helps with tactile desensitization and learning about different textures.
Pop Tubes: This is more of an auditory and tactile sensory toy. When you pull it out (which requires bilateral coordination, using both sides of the body) it makes a fun noise and then when you push it back together it makes a different noise!
Pop Fidget: The ever popular pop fidget. I think every kid either has one or knows what this is and wants one. These are good for reducing stress and anxiety but also working on finger isolation!
Floam- Travel Kit: Floam is such a fun different textured sensory toy. It is like slime and styrofoam had a baby. It sticks together and you can make it into shapes or letters!
Sensory Table: This sensory table is a montessori inspired table where you can store things below the bins. I love this for organizing, you can keep all of your sensory stuff in one place. It is a little pricey but worth it in the long run!
Liquid Motion Floor Tiles: These are SUPER cool. They are kinda like a lava lamp but on the floor and you can walk on it. This can be an activity mat, part of a sensory room or just a fun floor mat to walk on!
Sensory Swing: This lycra material is so cozy and gives lots of compression (deep input) which can be very calming for our sensory seekers! It also has a vestibular component with swinging back and forth or on a swivel in multiple directions.
Little Trampoline: Trampolines are a great way to get some of that energy out! It also can be beneficial for multiple reasons. Having an indoor trampoline your child can work on jumping and getting all of that sensory input from jumping. A lot of times, I recommend, if your child has a lot of energy to have them jump on the trampoline before school!
Stocking Stuffers:
Egg Crayons: These are really great for developing their grasp for writing. They are also small enough to take on the go and don't break as easy as traditional crayons.
Rock n Roll Rattle: This rattle is a little smaller than other rattles which makes it easy to take with you places. Rattles work on cause and effect, grasp and release and also visual tracking.
Mobi Zippee: The Zippee is colorful and has lots of different things to pull on. I put this in stocking stuffers but it really could be used for fine motor skills or sensory. All of the "zippees" are textured and are able to pull from one side to the other. This toy is SURE to entertain your little one!
Scissor Skills Activity Book: Great for on the go and the scissors are paper only scissors so no safety hazard. You can take it to restaurants or if they have to wait at the doctors office. This works on the important bilateral coordination skill of cutting!
Stress Balls: Having a squishy or resistive ball to squeeze when mad, upset or feeling anxious can help your little one A LOT versus taking their anger out on siblings, you or your house.
Handheld Water Game: Another activity that is good for on the go on long car rides or waiting somewhere. It also works on finger isolation and dexterity!
Keychain Pop Fidgets: Yep. More pop fidgets but MINI. These are SO popular this year that I had to include them twice!
Wrist Rattle and Footfinder: This is a very fun and engaging tummy time activity. You put the rattles on their wrists and the socks on their feet. The contrasting designs and light rattle will quickly draw their attention to their feet and hands!
Teethers: Always good to have on hand and always needed for those teething babes! I like the different textured ones and freezing them to make them nice and cold on those gums.
I hope you found this guide and my other gift guide helpful! Please reach out if you have any questions. I would love if you could share this blog or my other blog/instagram with friends and family to get the word out!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping!
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