Haba tap hammer set Start with pushpins, which are easy to hold, then progress to the tacks.
 Â
Klever Kutter Helps develop tight grip; useful and safe tool for cutting cardboard.
Strawbees
Easy-to-use connectors link ordinary drinking straws. This is a great collaborative activity.
 Â
Cubelets (shown here with yellow LEGO adapters)
Children progress from palming the cubes to holding them with thumb and two fingers (dynamic tripod grip), manipulating and connecting them in a workable sequence. Â
LEGOs and DUPLOs (building on vertical and horizontal surfaces)
3 yr-olds begin school year using DUPLO bricks, progress to LEGO. Â
Stringing beads on laces Helps with hand-eye coordination as well as fine motor gripping. Begin with pipecleaners or other rigid items, then progress to “floppy” laces.
Hole punch (Punched shapes are used to make collages.)
Requires leverage and transferring weight to hand.
 Â
Helping Hands tool set Specially-designed tools to help scoop, transfer, grab and practice scissor grip.
Â
Wooden clothespins for clipping cardstock and transferring items such as pompoms Helps develop pincer grip, strengthen the webspace between thumb and index finger, and separate radial and ulnar sides of hand
 Â
Â
Guidecraft Screw Block
Encourages child to grasp and rotate screwdriver to set or remove chubby wooden screws from color-coordinated holes in block. Â
Â
Tinker trays (made from new or recycled shadow box or printer’s trays; fill with wires, washers, beads, pebbles, corks, etc.) Young makers love creating with loose parts.
Jumbo craft sticks with Velcro dots Children press together, then pull apart the Velcro as they make shapes and structures.
Â
Coding with Bee Bots -- floor robot version
Children press directional buttons (repetitive tapping) as they program the BeeBots to navigate obstacle courses the children create; precursor to computer-based coding and robotics.
Â
Tegu magnetic wooden blocks allow children to build stable structures and learn about magnetic attraction.
Â
Twisteez wires
Children enjoy wrapping these flexible wires around pencils or dowels to make coils and curls.
Â
Â
Wooden blocks barn built by 3-year olds
cathedral built by 4-year olds
Â
Magna-Tiles
Magnetic, colorful translucent pieces for 2D or 3D building. Children rotate pieces using pincer grip. Great for collaborative building.
 Â
Â
Modeling clay and Play-doh All-round great medium for children to pinch, knead, roll and shape.
Tiny Tap
(new logo replaces the previous yellow Teddy bear icon)
Children make games to practice sorting and classifying objects.
app store; google play & desktop versions available
Tangram for Osmo
Children pick up, flip, and The app is free, but the reposition tiles to emulate reflector device and game designs shown on iPad. pieces cost about $80.
Dexteria Jr.
App includes three games with several levels of difficulty for children to practice tapping, line tracing, and pincer grip. app store -- paid app
Puppet Pals
Children engage in early collaborative digital storytelling as they create tales of characters who meet in a chosen setting. At $3.99, the Director’s pass is worth it.
Book Creator Allows children to narrate captions for photographs of their made items, producing an online book to share with others. They tap and swipe with one finger, demonstrating hand preference.
app store & google play versions available
Coding apps Pre-K children who are ready for online block coding may practice swiping and tapping while solving problems or challenges.
Scratch Jr. app store & google play versions available Â
Bee-Bot iPad app
Daisy the Dinosaur iPad app
Instructables
Good source for ideas, although most are for older makers.
The absolute best resource for preschool maker activities!
Resources
Books, articles, blogs, and sites for more ideas