What are the Wooden Fine Motor Pattern Balls?

The Wooden Fine Motor Pattern Balls set is a 132-piece early years resource made by Educational Advantage, designed to help children with dyspraxia and other special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) build fine motor control, colour recognition and pattern-following skills. Children use tweezers or a spoon to place 111 wooden balls onto a baseboard, following one of 10 double-sided workcards or creating their own pattern.

The set is built around repeatable practice rather than a single activity. The baseboard and overlay hold the balls in place while children practise the pinch and scoop movements involved in using tweezers and a spoon, and the six included bowls let children sort balls by colour once a pattern activity is finished. With 111 balls across six colours and 10 double-sided workcards, there is enough variation to repeat the activity many times without it feeling repetitive.

For schools

• Gives a class a single resource that covers fine motor practice, colour recognition and sorting in one activity.
• Supports EHCP and SEND provision targets around fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Ten double-sided workcards mean the difficulty can be adjusted for different children within the same small group.
• Suits early years and Key Stage 1 settings, and fits well within a graduated approach for pupils needing extra motor skills support.

For parents and home use

• Gives parents a hands-on activity that builds the grip and control needed for handwriting and other everyday tasks.
• The tweezers and spoon give children two different ways to practise picking up and placing objects.
• Ten workcards and open-ended pattern-making mean the set can be used in different ways as a child's skills develop.
• FSC-certified wood construction is built to withstand regular handling as part of a family's home learning routine.

For children with dyspraxia, activities that combine a pincer grip, hand-eye coordination and following a visual pattern can be genuinely hard work. The Wooden Fine Motor Pattern Balls set breaks that challenge into manageable steps: a child can start with the spoon before moving on to tweezers, and can follow a simple workcard before attempting a more complex one. For children with a wider range of SEND, the option to follow a workcard exactly or design a free pattern means the same set works for children who prefer structure and those who prefer open-ended play.

Fine motor activities that combine tool use, such as tweezers or a spoon, with a visual pattern to follow are a well established approach in supporting the hand strength and coordination that underlie handwriting and other everyday tasks.

Schools can add the Wooden Fine Motor Pattern Balls set to existing SEND and fine motor provision straight away, and parents can start using it as soon as it arrives, working alongside whatever their child's school is already doing.

• 111 wooden balls in six colours, giving plenty of pieces for pattern-making and colour sorting.
• 1 baseboard and 1 overlay, measuring 21 x 21cm, to hold balls in place during an activity.
• 10 double-sided workcards, giving 20 patterns of varying difficulty to follow.
• 2 tweezers and 1 spoon, giving two different tool-use options for practising grip and coordination.
• 6 bowls for sorting balls by colour once an activity is complete.
• 132 pieces in total.
• Materials: FSC certified pine wood, plywood and schima superba.
• Age suitability: 3 years and above.
• FSC certified timber.

• Two tools, one skill. Tweezers and a spoon give children with dyspraxia two different ways to practise pincer grip and hand-eye coordination.
• Structured or free play. Ten double-sided workcards give clear patterns to follow, or children can design their own using the baseboard and bowls.
• Built to last. Made from FSC certified pine wood, plywood and schima superba, in a sturdy reusable carton for repeated home or classroom use.
• 132 pieces in one set. Enough balls, bowls and workcards to repeat the activity many times without needing extra resources.

What's in the Box

• 1 x baseboard
• 1 x overlay for baseboard
• 6 x bowls
• 111 x wooden balls (six colours)
• 2 x tweezers
• 1 x spoon
• 10 x double-sided workcards

Care and Cleaning

Clean using a dry or slightly damp cloth with mild soap or detergent, then wipe dry.

Delivery and Returns

Standard UK delivery applies. See The Dyslexia Shop's Delivery and Returns page for full details.

Safety and Age Suitability

Contains small parts and presents a choking hazard. Not suitable for children under 3 years old.

• What are the Wooden Fine Motor Pattern Balls?
  They are a 132-piece early years set of wooden balls, tools and workcards, designed to help children practise fine motor control by placing balls onto a baseboard using tweezers or a spoon.
• Is this suitable for children with dyspraxia?
  Yes, the set is well suited to children with dyspraxia. It breaks pincer grip and hand-eye coordination into manageable steps, letting a child start with the spoon before moving on to tweezers.
• Does this help children with SEND more generally, not just dyspraxia?
  Yes, the set supports a wider range of SEND needs. Children can follow a workcard exactly for structure, or design their own pattern for more open-ended play, suiting different learning preferences.
• How can teachers use this in the classroom?
  Teachers can set different workcards for different children within the same small group, adjusting difficulty while everyone uses the same baseboard, balls and tools.
• How can parents use this at home?
  Parents can use the tweezers, spoon and workcards for regular fine motor practice at home, building the grip and control that also supports handwriting and everyday tasks.
• What age is this product suitable for?
  The set is designed for children aged 3 years and above. It is not suitable for children under 3 due to small parts.
• Is this product safe for young children?
  It contains small parts and carries a choking hazard warning, so it is not suitable for children under 3 years old. Adult supervision is recommended during use.
• What is included in the set?
  The set includes a baseboard, an overlay, six bowls, 111 wooden balls in six colours, two tweezers, one spoon and 10 double-sided workcards, making 132 pieces in total.