# Jingle Bells Fine Motor Tray
> Kids use tongs to pick up red and gold jingle bells and lay them along numbers traced in a peppermint-scented colored salt tray, then make patterns and their own designs. It builds on the author's peppermint writing tray.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/fine-motor-activities-jingle-bells-fine-motor-tray/
- Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 10 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: fine-motor, number-recognition, pre-writing, patterns, sensory-exploration
- Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Christmas jingle bells (red and gold)
- Salt
- Peppermint extract
- AmeriColor gel paste food color
- 1 piece Tongs (silver, kid-size)
- Number cards
- 1 piece Flat tray (household)
- 2 piece Small cups or bowls (household)

## Safety
- Jingle bells are small parts and a choking hazard. Supervise closely, count the bells back in afterward, and keep them away from children who still mouth objects.
- The scented salt is for play, not eating. Keep it away from mouths and eyes, because salt stings eyes and cuts. Wash hands after play.
- An adult handles the peppermint extract when scenting the salt. It is concentrated and can irritate eyes.
- Gel food color in the salt may lightly tint hands and surfaces.

## Before you start
- Make the peppermint writing tray: tint the salt with gel food color, scent it with peppermint extract, and spread it in a flat tray. The recipe is in the author's Peppermint Writing Tray post.
- Write number cards.
- Pour the red and gold jingle bells into separate cups.

## Steps
1. Set the peppermint salt tray on the table with cups of jingle bells and the tongs beside it.
2. Explore the bells first: pick them up with the tongs and mix them around.
3. Prop a number card at the top of the tray.
4. Trace the number in the salt with your fingers.
5. Use the tongs to pick up bells and lay them along the number you traced.
6. Try a pattern with the bells, such as red, gold, red, gold.
7. Make your own designs and jingle bell art in the salt.
8. Show off your finished jingle bell art.

## Tips
- Before starting to work with the fine motor tray, let your child explore the bells. Ours had fun picking them up with the tongs and mixing them up.
- Give kids time to find their grip. Ours tried various hand positions before she was comfortable with one way to hold the tongs.
- You can introduce patterns if the child is receptive.
- After the kids are done tracing on the peppermint writing tray, set out the bells and tongs to get a second activity from the same tray.
- It's an art tray that smells amazing too, and a simple, easy-to-put-together fine motor tray.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

Fine Motor Activities with a holiday twist. Expanding on our peppermint writing tray this fine motor activity will make learning and creating extra fun. Materials

- **[Christmas Jingle Bells](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062TJGRQ/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Peppermint Extract](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004166T04/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Salt](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019N87XE/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Tongs](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00359FBCA/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[AmeriColor Gel Paste Food Color](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029YDR82/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Number cards
- Flat Tray

I had this delicious smelling Peppermint Writing Tray. Once the kids were done tracing on them I set out cups of these really cute jingle bells along with a silver tongs. { Recipe for the peppermint writing tray in the above link}  Before starting to work with the fine motor tray, I let my 4 year old explore the bells. She had fun trying to pick them up using the tongs. She mixed the bells up and was generally having fun with the bells {Try making our **jingle bell soup** for some sensory play}



Then she simply traced the numbers { in our case} with her tiny fingers.



And used the tongs to pick up the bells. Then she tried tracing the number outline with the jingle bells. She tried various hand positions before she was comfortable with one position to hold



You can introduce patterns if the child is receptive.



After tracing and patterning, both the kids were off to making their own designs.



Jingle Bells art. Art tray that smells amazing too.



A simple easy to put-together fine motor tray for kids.



Thanks for reading



More **Sensory activities for kids** can be found here.