Hammers and Tees

📝 This post, Fine Motor Activity with Hammers and Tees,  was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new information and resources.

When my boys were little, all they wanted to do was hammer things. They hammered old boxes, tree stumps, the ground, our stone path, and even, at times, each other. I wanted another hammering outlet that was a bit more purposeful and educational, so I turned it into a fun fine motor activity using some styrofoam we had lying around, a kid-sized hammer, and some golf tees. That is all it took, and my boys were HOOKED!

Before beginning any of these activities, I let my boys just hammer with the tees. They needed to get that out of the way so there would be more room for learning. 

Why Hammering is Helpful:

Hammering activities help build hand-eye coordination, strengthen fine motor skills, and provide a safe outlet for all that pent-up energy. Best of all, kids think they’re just playing!

Fine Motor Activity: Tapping Tees

Materials Needed

✔️styrofoam block
✔️kid-sized hammer
✔️golf tees
✔️black marker

Alphabet Tees

Preparation

✔️Write the letters of the alphabet on the tees and place them in the styrofoam block- but not too deep!

How to Use the Alphabet Tees

✔️ Ask your child a question and have them answer by tapping the appropriate tee.

Suggestions for Tapping

🔨 Name a letter and tap the tee
🔨 Say a letter sound and tap the tee
🔨 Tap simple words like “no” or “hi” then add sight words

Number Tees

Preparation

✔️Write the numbers to 10 (or higher if your child is ready) on the tees and place them in the styrofoam block- but not too deep! For some of these activities, you may want to have higher numbers.

How to Use the Number Tees

✔️Ask your child a question and have them answer by tapping the appropriate tee.

Suggestions for Tapping

Other Tee Types

🔨 Clap or snap a number of times and tap the correct tee
🔨 Name a number and tap the correct tee
🔨 Share an addition or subtraction problem and tap the correct answer
🔨 Tap the numbers in order from 0-10 and backward
🔨 Tap the numbers when counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s
🔨 Tap the even or odd numbers if your child is ready
🔨 Name a number and say “greater” or “less than” and they tap an answer

Yes/No Tees

Write “yes” or “no” on the tee, then…

🔨 Ask a yes/no question and have them tap the tee
🔨 Share a math problem with a correct/incorrect answer and have them tap the tee if it’s right or wrong

💡You can also do this with a foreign language! Write “si” or “no” on the tees rather than yes or no.

Emoji Tees

Draw 😊☹️😐 on tees then…

🔨 Ask opinion questions such as, “Did you like the movie?” and have your child tap the matching emoji.

Color Tees

Color the tops of the tees each a different color, then…

🔨 Name a color and tap the right tee

Ideas for Blank Tees

Leave the tees blank then…

🔨 Use blank tees to tap the syllables in words

Open-Ended Styrofoam Fun

Sometimes the best activities are the simplest ones! On a day when my boys needed something to focus their energy, I grabbed some styrofoam shapes and toothpicks and let them go at it.

They spent ages pushing toothpicks into the shapes — and then it got even better when my son brought out his play tools. The toothpicks got hammered in, the drill got to work, and the screwdriver joined in too! We even tried sawing, although the saw was not quite up to the job.

For an extra sensory touch, we added small cupcake liners for sorting all the little foam pieces that got cut off along the way.

It was such a simple activity, but the boys had a blast — and it kept them busy for a good long while!

Really, the possibilities here are endless. Once my boys started hammering, they were always coming up with new ways to use the tees. How would you use this activity with your child?