Tongs. These are brilliant pieces of equipment for exercising the small hand muscles needed for skills such as writing and using scissors. I have to admit I rarely use tongs for their intended purpose in the kitchen but we have a collection purely for fine motor play activities. The letter T in our Fine Motor A to Z series gave us the perfect excuse to create a Tong Fine Motor Play activity.
The activity also gave us the opportunity to use the latest addition to our fine motor tool collection.
What you need to prepare for this activity?
Whilst shopping the other day I couldn’t resist purchasing the Kikkerland Whale Salad Tongs. The whale tongs joined our Piggy Wiggy Tongs and our wooden tongs.
By the way, I couldn’t find the original plastic whale tongs to share with you, but then I spotted these amazing Alaskan Whale Design Salad Server Bamboo Tongs!
Continuing with the letter T theme, I decided to use transport as the manipulative that my son would pick up using the tongs.
These included:
- Thomas The Tank Engine figures (find here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom)
- Disney Cars 2 figures (find here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom)
- miniature construction vehicles erasers (find here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom)
I left out three containers that my son could sort the transport into.
How we played with tongs?
My son couldn’t resist using the Whale Tongs. He immediately picked them up and started to sort the transport. Despite insisting on holding the whale upside, he found the tong easy to use. He quickly sorted the transport into the three containers.
After emptying the bowls to start again, my son turned his attention to the Piggy Wiggy Tongs. These required him to separate his thumb and index finger further apart. This is the same skill needed when using scissors. My son needed to concentrate harder in order to pick up the transport and place them into the container.
Up until now, the wooden tongs have been my sons favourite fine motor tool so he couldn’t resist using having a go with them in this activity. However, once he had used all three tongs my son returned to the whale tongs. He then spent the rest of the activity seeing how quickly he could pick up the transport with the whale tongs. I have a feeling our new whale tongs will get plenty of use in future activities.
Extend the playtime with a book!
Thomas board books in this set are: Go, Train, Go!; Stop, Train, Stop!; A Crack in the Track!; and Blue Train, Green Train. Boxed together in a nifty little “lunchbox,” these four books are a feast for Thomas’ smallest fans. The box features a sturdy handle and a velcro close and is perfect for Thomas lovers on the go. Find this book set here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
12 sturdy board books feature stories and early learning fun with Mater and Lightning McQueen! This take-along library comes in a carrying case with a plastic handle for easy transport and storage. Find this book set here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Here are few more activities you can try with your child
- Transport Calm Down Sensory Bottle – perfect for calming down before nap time or bedtime.
- 33 Ideas for Transport Themed Sensory Play – for kids who love to play around with different types of vehicles all year round!
Thanks for introducing me to the whale and piggy tongs. I love having a collection of various tongs to incorporate fine motor development in a fun way for children.