Playdough Task Cards – Fine Motor Task Boxes

Description

Building fine motor skills is fun with this set of playdough task cards. Designed to fit right in with the other My Happy Place fine motor task boxes, these little playdough mats are sized to fit in pencil boxes or photo boxes—your choice!

This playdough task box set includes five new printable playdough activities that are different from the playdough activities that are scattered throughout the other task box sets. Designed to build hand strength and coordination, each activity guides your students to manipulate playdough in various ways. As you teach and reinforce routines, your students will roll, press, and pinch their way to playdough independence!

Perfect for morning tubs, early finishers, centers, or busy boxes, this set of activities targets the development of fine motor skills in preschool and kindergarten students while also fostering independence and excitement about school.

Designed to be completed independently, these fine motor activities build finger strength, dexterity, and coordination while giving you time to take care of some of the many other tasks that demand your attention each day!

What will I find in this playdough task box set?

This set includes ideas and printable materials for 5 playdough activities, each with printable labels and task cards. These tasks are designed to fit into a standard plastic pencil box or a 4″ x 6″ photo box. (Note that the other My Happy Place fine motor task boxes are sized to fit in pencil boxes, not photo boxes, because many of them call for larger manipulatives and work mats.)

The included playdough activities are:

▶ Roll a Rope
This set includes 12 printable task cards, each with an image that can be built by rolling ropes of dough.

▶ Roll a Ball
This set includes 10 printable task cards, each with an image that can be built by rolling balls of dough. These cards also contain a math element: students will form between one and ten spheres to complete all the numbered cards.

▶ Roll, Press, & Pinch
This set includes 12 printable task cards with images that can be formed by utilizing a variety of playdough techniques.

▶ Make Letters
Students roll ropes and use them to form capital and lowercase letters in this set of 26 printable cards. Each card also contains a picture to help with letter-sound awareness.

▶ Make Numbers
This set of 11 printable cards allows students to roll ropes to form the numerals 0-10 and balls to fill ten frames with matching sets.

How to Use These Playdough Task Cards:

Start by teaching, modeling, and practicing your playdough routines and expectations. For example, you may want to require students to wash their hands before handling playdough, and you may want to provide work trays. Encourage students to pick up any playdough that falls on the floor promptly, so it doesn’t get stepped on and tracked around the room.

Once your students understand the playdough rules, you can use these task boxes any time you need students to be independent, engaged, and productive. Use these simple fine motor activities as morning tubs when students arrive in the classroom (a soft start is a great way to let students gently adjust to the school day) or as early finishers for children who finish their work quickly. These playdough activities are also useful during center time, indoor recess, or any time students need a quiet break to re-focus.

To prepare these playdough task boxes, print and laminate the activity label and instructions as well as the task cards. Attach the activity label to the outside of the box and the illustrated instruction card inside the lid. (You can use Velcro to attach the labels if you want to have the flexibility to easily switch activities throughout the year!) Place the cards and some playdough inside the box. If you’re using pencil boxes, party favor-sized dough cans work well. If you’re using smaller boxes, you may find it easiest to store the dough separately or to use a zip-top bag.

Once assembled, these fine motor activities stack easily on a shelf. Teach your students what procedures you would like them to follow for use and clean up. Some teachers allow students to come into the classroom and quietly select any of the morning tubs, while others prefer a check-in/out system that encourages children to cycle through the activities. Another option is to make a selection of task boxes available at each table and rotate them as the week goes on. This option can cut down on transition time and allow students to quickly choose an early finisher or center activity.

Why are fine motor skills important?

Research shows that well-developed fine motor skills in young children are a predictor of academic success. It makes sense that children with dexterity and hand strength would be more successful in a classroom that requires writing and drawing, but researchers have found that the connection goes beyond that. Through a series of studies using longitudinal data that tracked students from kindergarten through eighth grade, researchers determined that strong fine motor skills in the early years of life help form connections in the brain that lead to greater academic achievement throughout the school years. Unfortunately, advances in technology have led many families away from traditional activities that promote fine motor development. The time that many children spend using computers, tablets, and smartphones is time that they are not spending building, drawing, and manipulating objects in the world around them. Many children are beginning school with a deficit of motor skills, both gross and fine. It is important for schools to give children many opportunities to build those skills.

If you have any questions, email susan@myhappyplaceteaching.com or use the contact form on this site.

Thank you for shopping!

Susan Jennings (My Happy Place)

___________________________________

Copyright © My Happy Place Teaching Resources
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Buy on TPT