Occupational Therapy

Fine Motor Play with Keys

Colleen Beck OTR/L

Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter. Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids. Check out Colleen's blog posts below:

by Colleen Beck OTR/L
July 24, 2014

If you’re a frequent visitor to this blog, you know that we LOVE our fine motor play activities! We are very into playing with household items and recycled materials (aka FREE stuff) in our play, crafts, and activities. We’re joining so many other bloggers in 26 activities using everyday household items with one focus: Fine Motor Play for kids!

Like most homes, we have a junk drawer full of random things. There seem to be a ton of keys that go to who-knows which lock in this house. So, what to do with those keys that we may someday need for some unknown locked door? …PLAY with them!

Fine Motor Play with Keys

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When you have kids, many times it seems like there is more playing with every day household objects than there is of toy playing. Babies start out by banging pots and pans and reaching for the remote buttons, right? So why not play with something as simple as real keys? They are great for fine motor skills. Hey, there is even a grasp termed “key grasp”! When the thumb opposes the lateral side of the pointer finger to hold an object (piece of paper, coin, and of course, a key), you are utilizing the “key grasp”.

We pulled out our supply of mystery keys and got busy playing. I created a cute little lock from cardboard and the kids had fun locking and unlocking with their keys. We even pretended to lock up treasures and then unlock with different keys.

We did a threading activity with pipe cleaners
and keys. I asked the kids to thread one key on the yellow pipe cleaner, two keys on the orange pipe cleaner, three keys on the blue pipe cleaner, etc.

This was such a fun way to practice fine motor skills, listening, direction following, and early math.

Baby Girl (age 2 and half) was very into this activity. Little Guy (age 5) LOVED the cardboard lock. He locked away all sorts of treasures with it.

Don’t have extra keys in your house? Use the ones on your key ring. (Just watch them closely so your house key doesn’t “walk” away!) Or, you could purchase a box of blank keys and use them in fine motor play!