Rhyming Fine Motor Skills Task Boxes

Description

This rhyming words fine motor task boxes set is filled with 10 engaging activities designed to give your students phonemic awareness practice while they build fine motor skills. Perfect for morning tubs, early finishers, literacy centers, or busy boxes, this set of rhyming activities targets the development of standards-aligned literacy concepts and fine motor skills in preschool and kindergarten students while also fostering independence and excitement about school. Designed to be completed independently, these rhyming words 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 You Get in this Rhyming Words Fine Motor Set:

This set includes ideas and printable materials for 10 fine motor rhyming activities. Each task is designed to fit into a standard plastic pencil box and includes a printable label, picture directions, and other materials (such as work mats or task cards). The tasks in this set are intended to help your students master kindergarten reading standards but are appropriate for any child that needs practice with rhyming words.

The included rhyming words practice activities are:

▶ Spin and Rhyme
Students spin a spinner and search for rhyming words.

▶ Playdough Rhymes
Students use playdough to follow directions and complete a rhyming pair.

▶ Rhyme Strips
Students use small manipulatives to mark words that rhyme.

▶ Pattern Blocks Rhyming
Students build pattern blocks puzzles to complete a rhyming scene.

▶ Link-a-Rhyme
Students use plastic chain links to connect cards with pictures that rhyme.

▶ Rhyming Clip Cards
Students use clothespins to select a word that rhymes.

▶ Pompom Rhyming
Students determine which two (out of three) words rhyme and use tweezers and pompoms to connect those words.

▶ Rhyme Path Tracing
Students use a dry erase marker to trace a path between the words that rhyme.

▶ Rhyming Puzzles
Students assemble four-piece puzzles and then search for the rhyming words contained within the picture.

▶ Rhyming Match-Ups
Students sort picture cards into rhyming sets.

How to Use These Fine Motor Activities:

Once you get your students started with these task boxes with some initial instructions, they will be up and running and ready for independence! These rhyming words fine motor task boxes are perfect to grab during any of the times that 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 rhyming activities are also useful during literacy center time, indoor recess, or any time students need a quiet break to re-focus.

To prepare these Rhyming Fine Motor Task Boxes, print and laminate the activity label and instructions as well as the printable activity materials. 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 all listed materials inside the box. Each activity requires the inclusion of other classroom items such as manipulatives or basic classroom supplies (listed below).

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 to each table and rotate as the week goes on. This option can cut down on transition time and allow students to quickly choose an early finisher or literacy center activity.

What Teachers Are Saying:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My students use these task boxes for review and independent seat work as a station during my ELA rotations. Most students can do them with little to no assistance which is very important as I have limited para support during stations.” –Maria K.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Great resource for morning work! Love these task boxes!” –Mindy O.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “These are great for independent work! Thank you!” -Susan M.

Recommended Materials List (not included in purchase):

copy paper, card stock, laminator/film
¾” circle counters
transparent spinner OR paperclip/pencil
playdough
small counters (mini-erasers, beads, etc.)
pattern blocks
math links/learning links
clothespins
craft pompoms
child’s tweezers
dry erase marker/eraser

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)

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Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

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