Thursday, September 04, 2014

Fine Motor Light Table Play with Ice Cube Trays

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When it comes to light table play, glass stones are a staple. We've used them so many times. Too many times to count. I also love that I can buy them at the dollar store. 

Another awesome light table accessory that you can find at the dollar store is an ice cube tray. Combine the two dollar store finds and you'll end up with a simple fine motor color sorting activity for on (or even off) the light table, which is what we did in this fine motor light table activity for kids.

Fine motor light table play with ice cube trays from And Next Comes L

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Fine Motor Light Table Activity for Kids

For this light table activity, we used translucent ice cube trays (pink, blue, and orange in color) and glass stones in corresponding colors (red, blue, and orange). I had also set out some tweezers and tongs, but neither of my boys wanted to use them. Instead, they used their fingers to sort the glass stones by color.

Fine motor light table play with ice cube trays from And Next Comes L

Close up of ice cube trays on the light table from And Next Comes L

Close up of ice cube trays on the light table from And Next Comes L

This activity also encourages working on one-to-one correspondence by putting one stone into each spot in the ice cube tray.

Fine motor color sorting on the light table using ice cube trays from And Next Comes L

J also did some grouping. He liked to put two stones into a spot, then three, four, etc.

Fine motor color sorting on the light table using ice cube trays from And Next Comes L

Light table activity using dollar store ice cube trays for fine motor practice from And Next Comes L

The boys also enjoyed dumping out all of the glass stones and flipping the ice cube trays upside down. These particular ice cube trays looked like buttons when upside down. So the boys spent some time pressing the "buttons" and counting. Don't they look cool?

Ice cube trays on the light table from And Next Comes L

PS: This activity was the first activity that I shot in manual mode with my camera. I'm pretty proud of how the photos turned out!

Other Fine Motor Ideas You'll Love



Fine Motor Fall Acorn Sensory Play from Little Bins for Little Hands

Easy Fall Tree Activity from Powerful Mothering

Fine Motor Fall Leaves Sorting from Still Playing School

Fine motor light table play using items found in the dollar store from And Next Comes L