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Fine Motor Skills with Pipe Cleaners

Got some pipe cleaners lying around and not sure what to do with them? We’ve got wonderful news for you! Here are some great pipe cleaner craft ideas that will not only build your child’s creative side but also strengthen their fine motor skills!

Fine Motor Activities with Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners are so versatile and easy to use for toddlers and preschoolers. These fuzzy, bendable, and colorful sticks are affordable and can be used for cutting, bending, lacing, shaping, and even wrapping! I’m going to show you a ton of pipe cleaner activities that complement any craft, present, or holiday!

Ideas for Strengthening Fine Motor Skills

If you’ve lived in the preschool world for any length of time, you’ve heard the buzz word ‘fine motor‘. Young children are still developing the small muscles in their hands and fingers. If they strengthen or practice those fine motor movements, it will help them build pre-writing skills faster. And, there are so many tools to use, including pipe cleaners, like pom poms, scissors, and more!

Lacing Beads on Pipe Cleaners for Perfect Presents

This fine motor activity not only develops hands dexterity, but it’s also a really easy way to show patterns, create beautiful art, and a perfect presentation for loved ones.

Not only can you use pipe cleaners to make bracelets and necklaces, try a cutting exercise by asking your toddler to cut straws in several pieces.

  • Cut an example of a 1-inch size straw piece for modeling.
  • Using caution, ask your child to cut several pieces of straw using a multitude of colors. All straw pieces should fit almost the entire length of a pipe cleaner, about 6 1-inch pieces.
  • After cut straws are complete, string straws on the pipe cleaner. Or, in other words, add each straw piece until about a 1/2 – 1 inch on each side is left.
  • Secure the straws with decorative and colorful beads between each straw.
  • Fasten the pipe cleaner ends together to form a bracelet or necklace.

Colorful Hands-On Activities with Pipe Cleaners

This is a great hands-on fine motor activity for building small muscle strength, counting exercise, and identifying color patterns.

  • Layout several colors of pipe cleaners.
  • Grab a pile of a small, colorful array of clothespins and ask your child to match the colors.
  • Then, find out if they can count all of the clothespins on each pipe cleaner!

Bending Pipe Cleaners to make shapes for Building Flexibility

Here is an innovative fine motor idea for teaching more unique shapes like octagons and hexagons.

  • Grab some pipe cleaners and those extra cut straws.
  • Show your child the fun shapes they can make and count each side for extra practice! It’s easy peasy and so much fun to do with the kids!
  • Or, draw several types of shapes on paper and ask your preschooler to mimic the shape with pipe cleaners!
  • Show your student how a ruler helps make a straight line. Then, grab a marker and begin drawing shapes like squares, rectangles, and more!
  • Now it’s time for your preschooler to make their own shapes with pipe cleaners of any color!
  • What about some creative ideas for unique shapes with many sides? Try making some rainbow color bracelets with leftover cut straws. Your child will love parading around with their crafted and creative jewelry!

Wrapping Pipe Cleaners around Objects for Dexterity

Pencils not only help with writing, but they’re also a great tool for creating unique shapes and curly pipe cleaners! Wrap Pipe cleaners around any object, including writing utensils! Try more than one color while you’re at it! They can keep it on for extra support from slipping or pull it off for a curly pull toy!

Develop Fine Motor using Play Dough and Pipe Cleaners

What kiddo doesn’t love playdough? It’s squishy, soft, and super flexible. And, you can add it to the repertoire of your pipe cleaner palette! As your student cuts pieces of pipe cleaner, grab some extra playdough for play dough poke! Note that some child safety scissors will not be strong enough to cut through a pipe-cleaner. It takes quite a bit of strength to cut through the wire, so when planning this activity with younger children, plan on doing the cutting beforehand.

Just roll up some balls with your playdough and make some unique crafts, whether it looks like an alien, animal or an arachnid! It’s their choice — get those creative juices flowing.

There are so many fine motor skill ideas using pipe cleaners — just start with some of these innovative, inspiring ideas and I guarantee your child will discover even more!

Check out our handy and helpful fine motor task cards below, designed just for precious little hands!

Monster Playdoh Color Mats

Free Playdoh Monster Color Mat

Learning about the different colors and how to spell them is a necessary part of a preschooler’s education. Students will learn how to spell each one of the 10 colors by stamping each of the letters in playdoh. Monster Playdoh Color Mats are a new and fun way for your young students to learn their colors.

Interactive Spelling Game

This free Color Monster Playdoh game includes 10 different colored monster squares. Each square is a different monster face on it with the color of the monster written below.

Sight Word Spelling

All that is needed to assemble the Monster Color Playdoh Mat is to print the two sheets of paper that have the 10 monsters on them and cut them into squares. The only other materials you will need are playdoh and letter stamps.

How to Play

For this playdoh game, preschool children will pick a monster out of the pile and read the color. Next, the child will choose the same color play dough as the monster, in this case it will be green. Then, the child will spell the word “green” with the letter stamps directly into the play dough.

Colorful Playdoh Stamping

Having your preschooler stamp out words into playdoh doesn’t just have to stop at at colors. If your student is getting frustrated with their spelling words you can give them a break by having them stamp out the words in play dough instead. This is a great way to get your children excited about spelling! This activity can be adapted to your own spelling words, or even for students learning to spell their own name! You can extend this activity to have your student practice other key skills as well. For example, matching the uppercase letter to the lowercase letter, spelling small sight words, or even to spell the days of the week.

Monster Colors Playdough Stamping

Print a set on cardstock and laminate for durability. Store in task box or small plastic bag.

PRINT

Goldfish Cracker Pattern Cards

Free Goldfish Pattern Printable

This is the ultimate hands-on learning pack! I know my kiddos are a zillion times more engaged when they actually get to EAT their math lesson. Patterns are something that you’ll want to cover as part of your preschool math program. And, with these cute little fish crackers, your kids can have fun creating patterns and then eat the fish afterward! This free pattern pack includes 20 different pattern strips, making them a simple activity for at home or in the classroom. This is a great activity for when you need to keep your little children busy learning.

Interactive Pattern Sheet

This pack includes 4 sheets of 5 pattern strips. Each one of the 20 pattern strips has a unique pattern with different colors. Patterns follow the AB, ABB, AAB, and ABC patterns. You might find that your kiddos will end up creating their own patterns!

Pattern Game Assembly

All that is needed for the assembly part of this pattern game is to print the pages! Actually, if you want this set to last, say for your next kiddo, you might want to laminate the pattern cards for durability. That way, little cracker crumbs and sticky finger marks can easily be wiped off. After laminating, cut apart each strip and then get yourself some of the rainbow colored goldfish crackers.

Goldfish Cracker Pattern Game:

Once you have everything set up, have your preschooler pick out a pattern to replicate. After he/she is done, continue picking out different patterns until your child has completed them all. As your child masters the patterns, point out the name of the pattern and see if they can point and say which letter each fish represents as you go across the pattern. This might be too difficult at the start but work your way up to help your child reach this level of understanding patterns.

Busy Bag

These Fish Cracker Patterns are perfect for a Busy Bag. Because there are not very many pieces to this printable you can just put the pattern strips into a sandwich bag and pull them out when your preschooler needs something to do.

Monster Color Mats

Learn Your Colors Game For Kids

Understanding how to easily spell and identify each color with its correct name is an important skill for preschoolers. These free Monster Color Mats have been created to help preschool children learn the names of 10 different colors. Additionally, students will learn how to spell color words. These printables can be used in a classroom or in your home preschool.

Play Dough Word Mats

This Free Pack of Play Dough Worksheets includes 10 different mats. Each page includes two different color monsters with the color word next to them. Here is a list of the following colors so you can be sure you have these play dough colors available at home.

  • Red
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Purple
  • Pink
  • Brown
  • Gray
  • Black

Monster Printables

These printable Monster Color Mats don’t only have to be used with play dough. There are multiple ways to use these cute and colorful worksheets. Preschoolers can trace the letters with colored popsicle sticks, colored pencils, markers or crayons. You can laminate them for reuse.

Monster Playdough Mats

Monster Mats

Print a set of monster mats for your little monster! Use cardstock or laminate for durability and reuse. Provide students with all different colors of playdough to complete.

PRINT

Color Games for Kids to Learn: Free Bingo Game

Color Learning Games for Kids

Color matching is an important skill to learn during the preschool year. Students learn visual discrimination skills while sorting these colorful pictures. Each colors bingo mat includes 6 different cute and colorful pictures for children to sort. These games would be great for home preschool or as a learning center in your preschool classroom.

Learn Your Colors Game

This free color learning game includes 8 different color sorting mats:

  • Red Sorting Mat
  • Orange Sorting Mat
  • Yellow Sorting Mat
  • Green Sorting Mat
  • Blue Sorting Mat
  • Purple Sorting Mat
  • Pink Sorting Mat
  • Brown Sorting Mat

Printable Bingo Game Assembly:

Print the boards and picture tiles on cardstock. If desired, laminate for durability. Cut out each game board as ONE PIECE. Cut apart each picture tile. You should have eight game boards and 48 picture tiles when you finish.

How to Play Color Bingo Game:

This game can be played with 2-8 players. Each player should choose a board and find the tiles that match his or her board. Turn those tiles over and mix them up. The first player should draw a picture tile from the pile. If the picture matches the player’s board, the player keeps the tile and puts it on his board. If it does not match, the player puts it back into the pile. The next player gets a turn. The game is continued in this way until one player has found all six of his or her tiles and wins the game.

Preschool Busy Bags

Here’s a quick storage tip that will make things super simple for you: Store the entire game in a large plastic bag. Then when you are needing something to keep your preschooler busy you’ll have a quick educational game you can pull out. This color sorting busy bag can be used as a single player game by having your child spread out the boards then draw a card one at a time to match.

Color Sorting Busy Bag:

Print this free Color match sorting game! Remember to print on cardstock or laminate for durability:

PRINT

Shape-of-the-Week is a no-prep, print-&-go curriculum that covers 10 exciting shapes!  With daily hands-on activities, students learn about circles, triangles, squares and more.  Scheduled over a 4-day week, this set coordinates perfectly with our Letter of the Weekand our Learn to Read Curriculum.

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The Best Free Butterfly Worksheets for Preschoolers

The amazing butterfly is a wonderful teaching tool to use for a thematic approach during any season. There are so many great butterfly activities for the preschool age online. However, I’m going to share with the best FREE butterfly worksheets for preschoolers!

Kids love butterflies — their movements and beauty can keep them entertained and laughing for hours! That’s why these butterfly worksheets are the perfect fit for young children. They can learn much about their shape and parts alone with these valuable butterfly resources.

You’ll find a ton of free educational resources below including symmetrical butterfly worksheets, butterfly math worksheets, butterfly tracing worksheets, and even a butterfly matching game! All of these printables are easy to obtain with a click of a button. So, what are you waiting for? Find the best butterfly materials for you and your preschooler!

Symmetrical Butterfly Worksheets

During the preschool age, kids are ready to understand symmetry. It not only builds their learning skills, it also helps children develop the ability to observe and identify patterns. Three important subjects use symmetrical recognition: math, reading, and art.

These free butterfly worksheets below allow your student or child to develop these essential skills easily! Not only will your child enjoy seeing these eye opening patterns, they’ll also love their own creation.

Butterfly Math Worksheets

Young children have a natural sense of organizing and sorting through play. Yet, it’s also a huge benefit to be intentional about their math skills.  Take advantage of these free butterfly math worksheets for developing counting and number readiness.

With these free math butterfly worksheets linked below, your student will gain confidence in learning how to count, subtract, and even sort using these incredibly easy printables!

For an extra treat, try using your own manipulatives like erasers, coins, or M & M’s. You’ll be amazed how fast they can get their butterfly math worksheets done when M & M’s are involved!

Butterfly Tracing Worksheets

Giving your student opportunities to trace has so many benefits. It teaches them how to draw, independence, and understand the concept of drawing. Tracing also bridges the gap between a simple straight or round line to curves, bends, and zig zag patterns.   

That’s why these Butterfly Dot to Dot Worksheets are so important to use in educating your preschooler! They make connections, build their writing skills, and gain creativity with these wonderful math tools!

These worksheets will also give your child practice with fine motor skills using the alphabet and tracing lines. These writing worksheets will give your child more practice with their upper case and lower case alphabet tracing!

Butterfly Matching Game

Need some help teaching your preschoolers on how to identify colors? This easy and less mess butterfly matching activity allows your child to learn their colors with just a few steps.

Simply print out the FREE Butterfly Matching Game printable. Then, paste the butterfly worksheet on a file folder. You’ll need to grab some scissors, cut, and that’s it! Your child is now ready to match the butterfly to the correct flower — easy peasy!

With all of these free and valuable butterfly activities for preschoolers, you’ll keep your child or classroom busy and engaged. At this young age, it’s all about learning and having fun at the same time!

    Butterfly Math Worksheets: Addition

    This fun and free butterfly preschool printable will teach your child addition math facts.

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      Butterfly Math Worksheet: Count and Write

      This free butterfly math sheet will teach your preschool child counting and numbers in just a few minutes!

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        Butterfly Math Worksheet: Addition Facts using Dots

        Download this free butterfly math printable for preschoolers learning their addition math facts!

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          Butterfly Math Worksheet: Subtraction Mat

          Teach your preschooler subtraction math the easy way using the beautiful butterfly shape!

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            Butterfly Tracing Worksheet: Lower Case

            This preschool butterfly printable is perfect for tracing lower case alphabet letters and practice tracing lines.

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              Butterfly Tracing Worksheet: Upper Case

              Your preschool student will love this free and fun butterfly alphabet printable for help tracing alphabet letters in uppercase and tracing lines.

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                Symmetrical Butterfly Worksheet

                This free butterfly printable teaches preschool students how to identify symmetry patterns.

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                  Butterfly Worksheet: Symmetrical Patterns

                  Teach your child all about a butterfly's symmetric patterns using this free butterfly preschool printable.

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                    Butterflies Worksheet: More Symmetry Patterns

                    Download this free preschool butterfly activity for teaching young ones all about symmetry patterns.

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                    Butterfly Printables

                    Butterfly Printables

                    This is a butterfly printable your preschool is going to love! Best of all, we’ve designed a handful of fun, enriching, and educational activities you can use alongside them in your preschool homeschool. Before you get started, you might want to add this handy resource to your classroom.

                    Homeschool Teaching Supplies

                    This EK Circle Punch is one of my favorite teaching supplies because it takes my prep work time down to a few minutes instead of an hour or two.

                    Butterfly Activities

                    I flip mine upside down to punch because it has a window view to see what I’m doing. It’s no fun to blindly punch circles when you are trying to be accurate. This punch is 1.5″ and it is the same size I use for all of the Free Circle Punch Games on File Folder Fun.

                    FreePrintableGames
                    Click Here for More Free Printable Circle Punch Games

                    Maybe it’s just me, but I loathe all of the cutting and prep-work involved with teaching preschool. I love all the hands-on games and activities, but the cutting…..I can’t spend another minute cutting anything. That is why I also love my Guillotine Paper Trimmer, it literally cuts straight lines through stacks of pages and my prep is done in no-time.

                    Using the circle punch makes quick work of all these adorable butterfly counters. PRO TIP: Printing on cardstock helps with durability. I usually stack my pages, punch a row, then cut off the excess. This will get it out of your way so that you can continue to punch the next row. I work from top to bottom so that if my stack of pages gets out of order, I can easily line them on my straight edge at the base. That may seem a bit neurotic, but this method has saved me the hassle of misaligned pages, improper punching and the dreaded walk of shame back to the computer to print another sheet. Who has time for all that?

                    Butterfly Games & Activities

                    Once you have all your butterflies punched out it’s time for the fun to begin!

                    Obviously, it’s fun in itself just having a huge pile of colorful butterflies to play and explore with. You can use this set like you would any set of counters, here are some ideas to get you started:

                    Make Picture Shapes:

                    First, encourage your student to experience these counters with some gently lead free play. Students might realize they can sort the colors or even make pictures with the butterflies. You might sugget making an actual rainbow, or even a rainbow-butterfly-butterfly, because that is just the coolest thing ever:

                    Patterns & Sequencing:

                    Because you have a variety of colors in this set, you can easily use them to teach your preschool students about patterns and sequencing. Start with ABAB patterns (red, blue, red, blue) and work your way through ABCABC patterns (purple, orange, green, purple, orange, green). You might even try starting a pattern and asking your student to complete the pattern.

                    Printable Butterfly Games:

                    One of the very first games children can learn to play is called “SLAP!” This is a fun 2-player game in which both players take reveal their next card at the same time. If the cards are the same then the first one to SLAP the pile wins all the cards in the pile. If the cards are not the same, both players continue to reveal one card at a time until there is a match. You can adapt this as a 1-player game by revealing all the cards in a row and slapping when there are two in a row the same.

                    Butterfly Color Sorting Mat:

                    Butterfly Worksheet

                    As part of this set we’re including a free pritnable butterful color sorting mat. Students sort the butterflies into rows that match the flowers below. You can expand this activity by only providing students with a portion of the counters so their results will be different each time. Have them count up their results and report the color with the most or the fewest butterflies. Students who are learning to add can be asked questions like, “How many red and blue butterflies are there?”

                    Butterfly Template

                    The possiblities for these butterfly printables are endless, here are some more quick ideas to inspire you:

                    Hands on Addition & Subtraction: Use the butterflies as counters to make visual representations of simple math problems. “If Sally has 3 red butterflies and Max gives here four blue butterflies, how many butterflies does she have in all?” This is a great tool for visual and kinestic learners.

                    Roll & Grab Game: Assign a color to a number on the dice then roll and collect. First one to make a rainbow wins!

                    Butterfly printables like these are very versatile and they don’t take up much room. I keep mine in a small plastic bag near our homeschool table.

                    ButterflyPrintable
                    Butterfly Printable
                    PRINT
                    ButterflyWorksheet
                    Butterfly Sorting Mat
                    PRINT

                    If you are looking for more hands-on butterfly fun, be sure to check out our monthly Fine Motor packs. They are filled with hands-on activities,

                    Preschool Math without a Workbook

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                    Preschool should be about learning in a fun way. That’s why you should use hands-on activities whenever possible when teaching math! Not only is preschool math without a workbook more fun, but hands-on learning is a great way to help your preschooler remember important skills. This post describes just 5 simple activities you can try! Use them, and then see what other ideas you can come up with to replace worksheets whenever possible.

                    Preschool Math Curriculum
                    …

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