Written by Cali @chasing50toes
As a homeschooling mom of five, fine motor skill development is something that’s been front and center in our home for years. And honestly? It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need a dozen tools or a fancy curriculum. You just need the right materials—and some everyday play.
That’s one of the reasons I built Domino & Juliette. I wanted toys that could grow with my kids and actually support the way they develop—starting with those tiny hand muscles and all the little coordination skills that show up long before a pencil ever does.
From the very beginning, our toys are intentionally designed to promote fine motor development through movement, matching, stacking, tracing, grasping, pressing, sorting—you name it. And the best part? The learning is baked right into the play.
With babies and toddlers, the magic is in the simplicity. Our Squeeze & Stack Blocks are one of the first toys I give to my little ones because they’re soft, safe, and full of opportunity. We stack them, knock them over, squeeze them, toss them into bins, and build again. Then we bring in our Find & Fit puzzles, and the tray matching begins. That simple action of grasping the piece, turning it, and placing it into the tray is a powerful workout for those small hands.
One of my go-to toddler activities is color sorting on our placemats. We’ll grab a handful of puzzle pieces, pom-poms, counting chips—whatever’s nearby—and sort them onto the Colors Placemat. For the numbers, we use the 123 Placemat to line up puzzle pieces or small objects by quantity. It’s subtle, but each time they pinch or place an item, they’re strengthening their grip, building hand-eye coordination, and learning how to control their movements with more precision.
Our scene placemats like Under the Sea or On the Farm come in handy too. Toddlers love matching animal or creature printable cutouts to the spaces on the placemats. It's a playful way to practice visual discrimination and the early stages of fine motor control without any pressure to “perform.”
As my kids grow, we build on those same foundations. Preschoolers and early elementary kids are in such a fun phase for fine motor work, especially because they’re usually itching to be more independent. One of my favorite ways to sneak in motor skill practice is by having them stack the Find & Fit ABC puzzle pieces. I didn’t design them for that originally, but once I saw my kids trying it, I realized how perfect they were for a little spatial challenge. It takes real control to balance and align the pieces—and they’re determined to stack them higher every time.
We also love tracing letters and numbers with fingers on the mats. Sometimes I add Q-tip painting or dip a cotton swab in water to trace the shapes on a chalkboard or a printable page. It’s such a calming, low-prep activity that quietly builds both focus and control.
Playdough is another favorite around here. We’ll roll playdough into balls to place on the 123 Placemat, or we’ll roll out coils and shape them into letters on the alphabet mats. My kids love seeing their own creations line up with the shapes they’ve come to recognize, and it’s incredible for building strength in little hands.
For kids working on number recognition and counting, we’ll grab our D&J counting chips, pom-poms, or LEGO pieces and use the counting placemat to line up the correct quantity under each number. We often add tweezers or tongs for an added fine motor challenge. You’d be surprised how quickly kids get competitive with those tools—especially when color sorting on the Colors Placemat. Suddenly it becomes a game to beat the clock (or a sibling) while still getting the right piece into the right spot.
If you’re ready for more of a challenge, give your child a few of our ABC puzzle pieces and see how high they can stack them. There’s a little engineering magic that happens when they realize certain letters stack better than others—and that rounded edges require a bit more strategy.
And of course, we bring in the D&J dominos. These are more than a game in our house. We use them for STEM building challenges, pairing them with index cards, popsicle sticks, or blocks to make bridges, houses, or towers. We also line them up in patterns and knock them down, which gives a satisfying payoff while still reinforcing coordination, sequencing, and rhythm.
The best part of all of this is that it doesn’t feel like “fine motor practice.” It just feels like play. But as a mom watching it unfold, I know that every grasp, press, stack, and scoop is helping those little muscles develop. Whether your child is still learning how to pick up a chip with their fingers or getting ready to write their name, these types of open-ended activities offer the foundation they need to build confidence and skill—without a worksheet in sight.
If your kids are doing something creative with their D&J toys, tag us @dominoandjuliette. We love seeing how real families use these pieces to make everyday play brighter, smarter, and a little more fun.
