Sticky tape is fun to use in a fine motor activity with your preschoolers. Grasp, pull, and squeeze pieces of colorful masking tape with simple games that engage fine motor skills.

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Squish, squash, and squeeze! If this sounds a lot like hugs, then you've got the idea for this post. This fine motor activity is a little like a hug for the hands and fingers.

Masking tape and other colorful tapes are the main ingredient for this simple kids activity.

Masking tape is an inexpensive and easily accessible product that gets used a lot around the house - sealing packages, mending toys, even securing a loose bandage.  You might have painter's tape on hand to protect trim and borders when refreshing wall paint at home or at school. 

Tape can also be used in kids activities like this tape and pompom color sorting activity and this tape and markers art activity.

This sticky tape activity is a simple but effective way to use a variety of tapes. The activity combines fine motor play with gross motor movement to challenge and engage early learning skills. The activity is easy to set up and has lots of play ideas for preschoolers.

Start with a scavenger hunt, and add more activities to the fun as kids enjoy the play.

Sticky tape fine motor activity

Materials

For this activity you will need tape of different widths and colors: masking tape, painter's tape, washi tape, clear tape. The more the merrier!

But go ahead and provide the activity with even just one tape. Use whatever you have on hand.

How to play

Place strips of tape all around the edge of a table for kids to pull. They'll gather the tape into a ball in their hands.

Alternately, place strips of tape around the house or classroom - on door handles, on chairs and benches, on furniture.

This starts the activity with a scavenger hunt.

You can make the hunt more specific by assigning a color of tape for each child to pull, or challenging participants to grab a piece of tape until they have one stuck on each finger.

The tape will stick to fingers and palms as kids pull the pieces from the furniture and door handles. 

This adds a sensory component to the play!

Squeeze the tape pieces together in your hand.

Build a bundle of tape as you add more and more pieces.

Make different sizes of tape bundles as you play.

This easy activity engages the grasping and squeezing motions that strengthen kids hands. 

Once you have a ball of tape, extend the activity with fun games.

• Play a game of toss.
  
  
• Stick the ball of tape to a wall.
  
  
• Roll the tape ball down an inclined plane.
  
  
• Play a game of catch.
  
  
• Roll across the floor to a finish line.
  
  

There are lots of fun fine motor opportunities with this masking tape activity.

Is it time for a hug? This simple hand squeeze can be a welcome hug for the fingers any time of day!