Fine Motor Skills

I usually do not get very excited over battery powered toys but I’ve finally found an exception.  For Christmas this past year one of the gifts I bought for the girls to share was a battery operated drill set called Design & Drill.  Maggie has been showing a particular interest in fixing things, specifically changing the batteries of things and using a screwdriver.  She is interested in taking things apart and learning how they work.  With this in mind and the need for Lily to practice her fine motor skills I thought this would be a perfect toy for the two of them to share.  And success.  Without hesitation Maggie knew just what to do with the tools and Lily worked it out so that she could screw in the bolts and unscrew them, self-teaching herself to learn how to work the battery powered screwdriver into forward and reverse positions with the touch of a switch.  I was impressed watching her motor skills slowing get better and by the end of playing with the toy she had it down to a science.  Maggie loved playing with the tools as she loves watching her father work with tools in real life situations.  She also enjoys creating the patterns that she copies from her pattern cards (which are included in a little book with the toy).   It gave them a great chance to role play as well.  They helped each other and practiced sharing skills.  Besides fine motor skills the toy helps with learning how to sequence things before they happen.  There are choices to be made from what type of screwdriver head to use for what screw (even though all are universally fitted) and the choice between clockwise or counterclockwise on the powered tools.  There are manual tools included too in the larger set.  Thought I would post this in case someone might be looking for a great toy that teaches multiple areas and a fun way to practice sequencing and fine motor skills that can be a social opportunity also.