Building with foam blocks and shaving cream {fine motor skills}

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The temperatures have been so high lately that we have been inside quite a bit to escape the heat. But when possible, I make an effort to get the kids outside in our backyard in the late afternoon when there is enough shade to keep us cool.

One recent afternoon, I set up an activity to have my kids build with foam blocks and shaving cream. I have to give a shout out to Jackie from Happy Hooligans for inspiring this activity with her post on teaching spreading skills with blocks and shaving cream.  I thought this would be such a fun way to get my kids practicing those all important fine motor skills. And boy oh boy did they have fun with this!

Note: For more ideas to help kids build their fine motor skills, see my fine motor skills page.

For this activity, I used the following materials:

• A can of shaving cream (from the dollar store)
• Small trays to squirt the shaving cream on
• Foam blocks (from Goodwill)
• Butter knives

I brought the kids outside. They watched me place some shaving cream on their little white trays. I then gave each of them a knife and invited them to spread the shaving cream onto the foam blocks to make them stick together. I demonstrated this for the kids, and then let them try it for themselves.

They were game to try it themselves and dove right in.

I always know that XGirl is really concentrating when her tongue comes out. 🙂

These lightweight foam blocks easily stuck together with the shaving cream.

The kids started by building towers with their blocks.

But they soon branched out from towers into other structures.

I think they could have kept going with this for a lot longer, but sadly I ran out of blocks.

For clean up, I dumped everything into a bowl and rinsed it off in the sink. Easy peasy!

More fine motor resources

More fine motor posts from Gift of Curiosity:

• Toys that build fine motor skills
• Apple fine motor game
• Trace the shapes art and fine motor activity
• How to assemble a flashlight
  
• Seed medallions
• Spray bottle mural
• Practical life activities in the kitchen
• Stringing a rainbow necklace
• Fine motor fun with play foam
• Water bead sensory play
• Alphabet lacing cards
• Erasing letters with a Q-tip
• Making letters with straws and play dough

For more fine motor activities, see my Fine Motor Activities page or my follow my Fine Motor Activities board on Pinterest!

Follow Gift of Curiosity’s board Fine Motor Activities on Pinterest.