You don’t need anything fancy to work on skill development- simple household items will usually do the trick! But if you’re looking for some fun holiday gifts that will also pack a skill-building punch, you’re in the right place!
Below you’ll find my top gift recommendations for this holiday season, most of which I use EVERY day as a school-based OT working with young children! Each picture is clickable and will take you directly to the product listing on Amazon where you can learn more about it.
And just a disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a tiny commission (at no additional cost to you) when you make a purchase through one of these links. This supports my ability to create free OT content for you!
Alright, now on to the recommendations!
Fine Motor / Visual Motor
These are my go-to games and toys- I find myself grabbing them off our therapy shelves on a daily basis! Use them to develop fine motor precision, grasping skills, hand strength, and visual motor control.
Lite Brite is a classic toy that helps develop mature grasping patterns and in-hand manipulation skills!Avalanche Fruit Stand is my favorite tong game! Perfect for improving strength and facilitating a mature utensil grasp.
I love the smaller game pieces in this travel version of Connect 4!
Hi Ho! Cherry-O is my favorite game for working on pincer grasp development!Wikki Stix are a great option for open-ended creative exploration!This set combines imaginative play with bilateral coordination & strengthening!Building with Squigz is so much fun! Great for building strength & creativity!Legos are a classic for a reason! Endless possibilities for creation while developing fine motor precision skills.
Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco is a favorite for working on shape recognition and hand strengthening!These pop beads come in so many fun colors and textures. Use them to make jewlery or bury them in putty to be found!This Play-Doh set comes with fun accessories, including an extruder that helps develop hand strength!
Blocks are a great way to develop visual motor skills and creativity!
Sensory Play
My absolute favorite mediums for tactile play! Whether you’re shopping for a sensory seeker or a child learning to explore new textures, these will be a hit.
This sand is magical! Squeeze it, mold it, love it!Water play is taken to the next level with the addition of water beads!
Spray with water and watch it grow! This fake snow is COOL!
Floof is oh-so soft, light and airy. A fun novel texture to build with!
This is the ultimate set of slime! So many different textures to explore.This scented putty provides satisfying olfactory & tactile input at the same time!
Gross Motor Skills
These toys are perfect for developing body awareness, core strength, proximal stability, hand eye coordination, bilateral skills, and more!
These cards help to teach kids yoga & mindfulness!This toss and catch ball game is a classic way to build ball skills!
Motor planning, strength, balance, and body awareness all in one!Practice hand-eye coordination to knock over the monster bowling pins!Zoom ball is my favorite toy for developing bilateral coordination & upper body strength!The suction cups on this teeter popper give a satisfying POP as you stand and rock it back and forth!
Visual Perception
These products work on visual perceptual skills including visual scanning, figure ground, form constancy, visual discrimination, and spatial relations!
Spot it! Jr is a matching game that works on form constancy and visual discrimination!This fun twist on peg puzzles works on visual perception and fine motor skills too!A unique activity for working on visual spatial skills! Copy the designs or make your own.A go-to logic game for developing problem solving skills and spatial awareness.
I spy books are great for working on figure ground and visual scanning!Design copying has never been cuter with these colorful wood shapes!
Happy holidays!
♥ Sarah
Disclaimer: It is your personal responsibility to follow all product-specific safety guidelines when using any products recommended in this gift guide. All products should be used under adult supervision.
