Dinosaur Fine Motor Counting Activity

Kindergarten Preschool Toddler PrintablesFine Motor ActivitiesMath

The prehistoric world is one that fascinates many of us, but no one loves dinosaurs quite as much as our young kiddos! With their varying shapes, their different roars, and their frequent depiction in children’s literature, toys, and film, kids seem drawn to these giant creatures.  So let’s take that interest and add in some fun, hands-on learning with a dinosaur activity for preschoolers!

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Dinosaur Fine Motor Math

This fun printable is a quick and easy way to increase your learners one to one correspondence while also strengthening their fine motor skills.  The concept is quite simple: choose a number between 0-10 and write it with a dry erase marker on the stegosaurus’ stomach.  Your child will then count out and clip on the stegosaurus’ “spines” to make a fearsome (but friendly!) dinosaur.

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Using the Stegosaurus Fine Motor Clothespin Counting Activity

Not only is this printable easy to make and use, but it is even easier to adjust to your learners’ needs and abilities. If your learner has emerging one to one correspondence skills, strengthen their understanding by adding small dots with your dry erase marker to indicate where the stegosaurus’ spines should be placed. Once your child has completed adding the spines, have them count the spines aloud with you and show them how the number of spines is the same as the number you wrote on the belly.

For those learners who are mastering one to one correspondence and are showing interest in new materials, simply make two printable and easily turn this activity into simple addition. Write a number on each stegosaurus’ belly and have your kiddo attach the spines.  Once each dinosaur is complete, ask your learner how many spines there are all together.  To take the learning and fun even further, you can then ask which stegosaurus has more spines and which one has less.

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A Fantastic Fine Motor Workout

Fine motor skills are an important part of your preschoolers’ development, but thankfully it is super easy to incorporate fine motor strengthening techniques to almost any activity!  Clothespins are an excellent way to ensure your child gets some extra strength training and fine motor development throughout the day, plus they are easy to find, use, and store! I always have a bag of clothespins ready and available to use as they not only strengthen your kiddos fingers but also helps them master that pincer grasp that is crucial to writing skills later on.

If you feel like your child might need a little extra strength training, a great substitute is mini-clothespins. They’re a quarter of an inch tall and can be found at any craft store or even your local Target! These mini clothespins are a bit harder to manipulate and require precise pincer fingers.  This makes them a great substitute for your 4 or 5-year-old who is beginning to write and master that pincer hold on their pencil!

With all of these tips, tricks, and accommodations, our Stegosaurus Clothespin Counter is an excellent activity for your itty bitty preschoolers, all the way to your PreK or Kindergartener. It is quick and easy to make and can be used in a variety of ways to encourage your kiddos counting skills, one to one correspondence, and improve their fine motor skills!