Fine motor skills activities for toddlers

Fine motor skills are one of the fundaments of a child's independence, they help him to tie the shoelaces, write, button up a shirt and eat with cutlery. As parents can enormously help their children to improve those skills, I am here today to share with you a few simple and fun activities that you can set up for your toddler.

TRANSFERING TISSUE PAPER BALLS
This activity takes seconds to set up. All you need are tongs, ice cube tray, and tissue paper balls (you can also use pom poms). A child needs to place the paper balls into the slots of the ice cube tray using the tongs. If you don't have the tongs, he can use a spoon too.

PAINTING ROCKS
All you need for this activity are some rocks, a brush and acrylic paints. Let your child use his imagination and colour the rocks just the way he wants. 

MAKING TINY PLAYDOUGH BALLS
The list of activities you can create with playdough is endless. It is one of my favourite art materials because it wonderfully strengthens child's hands. 
The aim of this activity is forming small playdough balls and placing them in the slots of the ice cube tray.

PLAYDOUGH PEBBLES HUNT
When I first came up with this idea, I had no clue that my son will enjoy it so much. But he loved it. I simply hid pebbles in large playdough balls, and he had to dig them out. Sometimes I would make a humongous ball and hide plenty of pebbles in it. It is a very entertaining activity, and it beautifully supports the development of fine motor skills. 

DUPLO SCRUBBING STATION
Duplo blocks, even if stored in a box with a lid, do get dirty and dusty all the time. I need to bath our Duplo once a month. Kian loves to help out, so I usually just rinse the Duplo and then transfer it to a large container where he can wash it with either a toothbrush or a nail brush (both used exclusively for cleaning). It is a fun practical life activity that also supports the development of fine motor skills.

LACING CARDS 
You can either buy lacing cards or make them at home. This activity is simple, but it not only improves the fine motor skills but also hand-eye coordination, concentration and strengthens the pincer grasp. 

PINE CONE PAINTING
You can set this activity in two different ways: you can either squirt some paints into a box lined with paper and ask your child to gently shake the box to colour the pine cones, or he can simply paint them with a brush. 

TISSUE PAPER 3D ART 
I have to admit that this used to be my least favourite type of arts and crafts project when I was a pre-schooler because it requires patience and precision, which I didn't have back then. On the side note, I have lost the hope that I will ever master the precision thing.

This activity supports the development of fine motor skills, precision, hand-eye coordination and concentration. The child can prepare the tissue paper balls by himself, or you can do it for him. Then he can glue them on the paper to create a beautiful 3d art project. 

TISSUE PAPER BALLS RESCUE
All you need to do to set this activity up is to fill the whisk with small (tissue) paper balls. If you're worried that your child may want to put the balls in his mouth, you can use small scarves or baby socks instead. 

HAMMERING AND SMASHING PLAYDOUGH
Smashing and crushing are some of the children's favourite activities, so when my son first discovered it, I came up with playdough smashing to avoid him smashing and wasting the food. All you need for this activity is playdough and a hammer.

PLAYDOUGH PRINTS
Your child can make prints in the playdough using animal figurines, wooden blocks, spoons, Lego Duplo, leaves, flowers, tree twigs, pine cones, little figurines- pretty much anything. It is a fun way to work on the strength of hand muscles, and entertain the kids, too. 

TRANSFERRING WITH TONGS
For this activity, you will need two bowls or containers, one filled with some small objects you find at home- wooden blocks, animal figurines, acorns or pine cones, and a pair of tongs.
Your child needs to transfer the objects from one bowl to another using tongs. 

SCOOP AND TRANSFER ACTIVITY
All you need for this activity are two containers (one of the filled with water), a strainer spoon (or a spoon/ ladle if you don't have the strainer spoon), some small objects and a cloth to dry the potential spill. The idea is that the toddler transfers objects using the ladle from one container to another. 

WHISKING UP SOAPY WATER

For this activity, you will need a bowl or a plastic box, soapy water, a whisk, a cloth to dry the potential spill, and paints (if you wish). What I love about it is that your child strengthens his hand muscles and has a sensory play in one. If you let them mix 2 or more paint colours, he will learn the basic of what colours make what colour. 

ANIMAL RESCUE 
Animal rescue is a fun activity that helps to develop fine motor skills and critical thinking. I strung jute twine through the holes of the clothespins basket, and I asked my son to rescue the little animal figurines using tongs.

METAL RIMMED COUNTING CHIPS SEARCH
You can hide the counting chips in a container filled with rice/ dry pasta or tissue paper balls and ask your child to find them all using the magnetic wand. 
The counting chips usually come with a magnetic wand in a set, but if you don't have the wand, you can use any magnet you have at home. 







RAINBOW PASTA SCOOPING
For this activity, you will need two containers- one empty, and one filled with dry pasta/ rice/ tissue paper balls/ pom poms/ dry beans and some sort of scoopers. It can be a spoon, a ladle, a teaspoon, wooden scoopers or handy scoopers. Sometimes we use toy cups or cooking pots, too. It is not only a great sensory play but also an activity that supports the development of fine motor skills. 

WATER POURING 
This wonderful fine motor and practical life activity can be set up in many ways. You can use either a jug and a pitcher, two identical jugs, two identical pitchers, a pitcher and a bottle etc. Younger children can start by pouring rice/ tissue paper balls/ pom poms, and once they have practised dry pouring, they can move onto wet pouring. 
The child pours water from the right-hand container into the left-hand side container, and then from the left to the right. Provide him with a sponge or a cloth, so he can clean the tray if there is any spill. 



Please let me know if the ideas I shared were helpful, and if you would like me to prepare more articles on that topic. Thank you for your time! 

Inspiring Instagram accounts

Instagram is a machine powered by billions of photos and millions of faces and souls behind each one of them. I don't demonize it, because I truly believe that there are many fantastic creators on Instagram, who have interesting stories to tell. I love content that inspires me to grow as a person, mother, friend and artist. I believe in the value of each of the Instagram accounts I am going to share with you today, and I have selected some of the best ones out there. 
Instead of simply describing them in a few words, I decided to tell you how exactly they have inspired me, and in order for you all to understand that, I had to be vulnerable and share some feelings I have never shared publicly before. Hope you enjoy!
                  

   

Zuza Gasiorowska  @zuzagasiorowska   Photo credit: Zuza Gasiorowska and @kubazawada

Zuza Gasiorowska is a phenomenal Polish photographer born in Australia. She blows me away with her craft and sophistication. Just like the high contrast colours she uses, her photographs are both subtle and powerful. I follow the work of many photographers, but what makes Zuza special is her ability to unveil what is unique about her models, and keep her work so coherent at the same time. She doesn't have many colours or props to play with, yet the way she captures people tells me so much about them. Her Instagram account is a pure gem, looking at it feels like walking into a stunning temple, when the beauty of it, and some kind of sublimity makes you speechless. Her harmonious feed is one badass artistic haven in the twee and vulgar world of Instagram. Hats off to a true artist! 

A few of my favourite pieces. Masterpieces! Photo credit: Zuza Gasiorowska @zuzagasiorowska

Daniel Daggers  @daniel_daggers  Photo credit: Harry Borden, Daniel Daggers 

I first heard of Daniel Daggers last year, but it was an episode of The Ikonn's podcast he appeared on earlier this year that made me start following his journey on Instagram. Daniel is one of the best real estate brokers in the world, who climbed up to the top of the ladder in his field in a very respectful way. And the best thing about it is that it didn't happen over the night. He started over 20 years ago as an intern in a local estate agency, and his hard work, persistence and loyalty helped him succeed. 
His Instagram account is a fantastic source of information for people starting out in real estate, a source of inspiration for those, who are dreaming of buying a luxurious property one day, or those, who are on a hunt for one. I follow Daniel because his content is a daily reminder to stay focused and learn more, and that hard work, efficiency and dedication are the core of success. 
Moreover, there is one thing that I find the most inspiring in Daniel's Instagram account, and it is the respect he has for his parents. He is a grown-up man, working in an extremely serious field, and yet he repeatedly, in front of thousands of people, proudly says 'I love you, mum' and 'I love you, dad'. As a mother, I find it so inspiring. It shows the value of parental unconditional love, attention and support. When I decided to get pregnant, I knew that, just like with everything I do in my life, I was going to give my son 1000000% of my attention and time. I knew it was going to mean taking a major step back in my career. Since I am a crazy perfectionist and workaholic, it still hurts me being constantly judged by people for the decision to fully commit to motherhood up until my son turns 3.

What Daniel said on the episode of Ikonn's podcast about his parents ensured me that my decision was right and that our children will remember and cherish the time we spent with them more than anything else. I always knew that, but I listened to that podcast on a morning when I was feeling humongous mum guilt, and it helped so much. 

Mimi, Alexa Love and Alex Ikonn.  Photo credit: Mimi Ikonn  @mimiikonn

When I think of inspiring people on the Internet, Mimi and Alex are always the first couple that comes to my mind. They are dreamers, who overcame a crazy amount of obstacles, and built not only a few extremely successful businesses, but first of all the life that they always wanted. They are entrepreneurs, authors, Youtubers, and social media influencers. Mimi and Alex are parents to Alexa Love, a smart and adorable little girl. 

What is fascinating about them, is that they grew mentally, spiritually and financially without allowing their egos to grow even a little. Mimi's and Alex's approach to business and marketing is admirable. You won't see them flashing their products in every video and Instagram post, or over-promoting them. 
What is more, I always adored the way the Ikonns treat people, and most of all- the way they treat one another. It is fascinating how much respect and kindness there is in every word they say.

A few months ago they created their own podcast, where they share a lot about their past and present lives, their fears, the problems they had to face on their way to success and self-growth, and business tips. They invite fascinating guests, and I have to admit that I have cried listening to each one of the episodes. It is, honestly, the best source of inspiration on the Internet. 

Alex's Instagram account: @alexikonn
You can listen to The Ikonns podcast here.

Photo credit: Chakra  @chakra

Chakra is the ultimate inspirational account on Instagram. In the past three years, life has challenged me in many ways, and I fell off my wellbeing track. I am in a much better and happier place now, slowly putting the puzzles back together, and Chakra's daily inspirational posts on Instagram help me with it a lot. They remind me to meditate, breathe and focus on positive energy and gratitude. I don't know much about the people behind Chakra, but I  certainly want to thank them for their consistency and time they put into creating their content. So if you need some inspiration to start a mindfulness journey, or if you're looking for calm in the storm, check out their account, they are fantastic! 




Please let me know if you follow any of the accounts I wrote about today, and what or who inspires you to live a happier life. There isn't such a thing as too much positive energy or too much inspiration. Thank you for reading! x

Why is it essential to let your child say no?

People who change the world are those, who are not afraid to say 'no'. Those, who dare to question anything and everything. Each one of us was born with tremendous curiosity, the thirst for knowledge, and the will to master all skills possible. Unfortunately, often those qualities are taken for granted, and the older we get, the more they fade away. I truly believe that an independent toddler becomes an independent child, then an independent teenager, and, eventually, an independent adult. In order to be fully independent, one must feel free to say 'no'.

INDEPENDENT VS OBEDIENT CHILD 
Raising an independent child is not easy at all. It takes a lot of education, patience, talking, talking and talking. We- parents- must let go of our egos. But it is worth it! Not only we nurture some of the most beautiful human assets in our kids, but also we allow ourselves to grow mentally and spiritually.

Must a child be obedient to his parents? No, he mustn't.

Must a child be obedient to God? No, he mustn't.

Must be child be obedient to the government? No, he mustn't.

Must a child be obedient to an abusive teacher? No, he mustn't.

Must a child be obedient to a drug dealer? No, he mustn't.

Must a child be obedient to his toxic partner? No, he mustn't.

Must a child be obedient to whoever the hell wants to hurt him? No, he mustn't.

But he will be if we never allow him to say 'no'. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR CHILD'S FIRST RELATIONSHIP
The relationship with the parents is the first one your child will ever build, hence it is the most important one. Based on it, he will create relationships with other people.
If the child is comfortable to say 'no' to a parent wanting to photograph him on a potty, he will most likely feel comfortable to say 'no' to a colleague offering him drugs. 
Yes, it sucks when I bring the camera to the park on a gorgeous day, and my son not only refuses to pose to the pictures, but he doesn't even want me to try and take some when he runs around. The landscape is gorgeous, the light is magical, the model says 'no'. Does it annoy me a little? Yes, it does. Do I take my frustration out on my child? No, I do not. Because his face and his body belong only to himself, and if he doesn't feel like standing still and smiling, he doesn't have to. Yes, it makes everything a little bit more difficult at that particular moment. But as soon as my ego wants to kick in, I remind myself that my patience is an investment in my child's future. Forcing and dictating the kids always brings back disgusting results, often opposite of what we wished for.

FREEDOM DOESN'T MEAN DISOBEDIENCE 
Giving your child the freedom to express his needs and veto demands doesn't mean allowing him to hurt himself or others. His freedom ends where other's begins. Kids who got the right to say 'no' will respect other people right to say 'no'. 
If the child refuses to say 'I love you' to an uncle he sees once a year, do not force him to that. In the future, he will not feel obligated to say 'I love you' to a partner he does not love. 

CHILD'S HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF
'No' is OK. 'No' is an option that every child deserves to have. We need to allow our children to build a healthy relationship with their minds and their bodies. Give them freedom of expressing their feelings, emotions and opinions. Give them wings!