Fine Motor Skills Checklist for Toddlers (18 months-36 months old)
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Your little one is headed towards toddlerhood. Gone are the days of scooting and rolling to where they need to go. If they are anything like my 19 month old son, a toddler “tornado” comes to mind. It's definitely an age of discovery and becoming more independent with activities you use to have to help with. It's fun to see what your toddler will be mastering and it's also a great way to figure out what types of activities you can provide to improve their fine motor skills.
Today's fine motor skills checklist for toddlers will help you figure out what your little guy or girl will be working on and some fun ways you can challenge their fine motor skills for the future.
Fine Motor Skills Checklist for Toddlers
18 months old – Most children are walking by this age and starting to move steadier and easier over uneven surfaces. Here are some fine motor skills that they will be mastering.
- Can put rings on pegs.
- Begins to hold a crayon with finger tips and thumb.
- Removes pegs from a pegboard.
- Marks or scribbles with a crayon or pencil.
- Can build a tower 3-4 blocks high.
- Can open loosely wrapped packages or containers.
- Begins to make snips on paper with scissors (closer to 24 months old).
- Can turn pages in a book one page at a time.
24 months old – After age 2, toddlers are beginning to refine their fine motor skills including hand grasp and begin to copy and trace pre-writing lines or shapes.
- Manipulates clay or play dough with fingers.
- Can build a tower 9 blocks high.
- Can turn doorknobs.
- Can pick up small objects with pincer grasp (index finger and thumb).
- Can complete 3 piece puzzles.
- Makes scribbles on paper.
- Makes snips on paper with scissors.
- Can wash hands independently.
- Can screw lids on and off containers.
- Able to string large beads.
- Zips and unzips large zippers.
- Able to use a spoon correctly.
36 months old – Your toddler is headed towards preschool age! Here are some fine motor skills they will need in order to focus on higher level skills.
- Able to cut a piece of paper in half.
- Can copy pre-writing lines (vertical, horizontal, and circle shapes).
- Able to complete lacing cards.
- Can cut a long, wide line with 1/2″ accuracy.
- Able to string 1/2 inch beads.
- Can sort objects by color, size, types etc.
- Able to fasten and unfasten large buttons.
Fine Motor Skills Checklist for Toddlers Printable
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Get more fine motor development tips below!
Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Thank you for the checklist its very helpful.