Smashing ABC Moon Rocks

Looking for space themed fine motor activities? Last week I shared the Fine Motor Space Alien and the week before that I shared the Moon Dust Writing Tray which combines sensory play with mark making. This week we are continuing the space theme with a fun twist on baked cotton balls I like to call “moon rocks”. Smashing ABC Moon Rocks are a fun way for toddlers and preschoolers to practice fine motor skills and letter recognition!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Smashing ABC Moon Rocks

To do this activity you first need to make some “moon rocks” otherwise known as baked cotton balls. I used the recipe found at Learn~Play~Imagine and added some gray sparkly tempera paint that I had mixed up for color. It was so easy and Caden loved helping make the cotton balls which was a great fine motor activity in and of itself! First he had to place a cotton ball in the mixture, coat the cotton ball and then spoon it out and on to our baking sheet.

When we used up all our cotton balls and filled up the baking sheet it was time to put them in the oven to bake! This is an exercise in patience, but doesn’t take long at all! We just went off to play while we waited!

After the cotton balls were baked, I used a black permanent marker to write some letters on each one. I placed them all on a tray with a toy hammer and invited Caden to smash the ABC Moon Rocks!

Caden loved smashing up the moon rocks! Using alphabet flash cards, I showed Caden the letter and had him find the matching ABC moon rocks on the tray before smashing it! This was a fun way to practice alphabet recognition and fine motor skills!

You’ll noticed we tried two different toy hammers. The first hammer we tried just wasn’t strong enough to smash the moon rocks, so we switched to a harder plastic toy hammer tool! This hammer was more fun too! Caden could use it like a hammer or use the other end to crush the moon rocks like a jack hammer!

 

 Happy Fine Motor Friday!

Check out these great fine motor ideas!

Pipe Cleaner and Bead Inchworm Craft from Craftulate

Valentine Themed Button Snake from School Time Snippets

Crepe Paper Flower Cards from Powerful Mothering

Usborne Books that Promote Fine Motor Skills from House of Burke

Fine Motor Valentine’s Day Shirts for Kids from Lalymom

Groundhog Finger Puppet Craft from Still Playing School

Lego Race Game to Build Minifigures from Little Bins for Little Hands

 

Save

© 2015 – 2017, Stir The Wonder. All rights reserved.