How To Make A Watermelon Fine Motor Activity
May 22, 2026
All activities on this site require adult supervision. When using this website, you agree to our terms of use. This post may contain affiliate links. I am an Amazon Associate, a Walmart partner, and a member of other affiliate programs and I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure policy for details.
This egg carton watermelon fine motor activity is a fun way to build motor skills through play. Kids will use recycled egg cartons, colored rice, and watermelon seeds in this pretend play activity that will keep them busy while building the muscles in their hands and fingers. If you’re looking for an easy way to build fine motor skills at home, this watermelon fine motor activity will get kids started on their developmental journey!
So, if you’re looking for an easy fine motor activity for toddlers, summer watermelon activities for preschoolers, or fine motor activities for the classroom, this is a great one to try! And, if you’re wanting to continue the fine motor fun, try this bug fossil playdough tray or this caterpillar color sorting sensory bin.
What You’ll Need For This Fine Motor Activity
Watermelon-Themed Books For Kids
This activity pairs perfectly with a watermelon-themed read aloud. Try one of my favorite watermelon books:
How To Make A Watermelon Fine Motor Activity
Dye the rice red and green using paint and a few squirts of hand sanitizer. This is easiest when done inside a plastic zip bag. Add in the rice, paint, and hand sanitizer, close the bag, and move the rice around to coat it. Then, spread it out on a pan with parchment paper to dry completely before play.
Cut apart egg carton cups and paint some red and some green. Let dry fully.
Add the red rice, green rice, painted egg carton cups, watermelon seeds, and scoop to a tray.
Encourage kids to arrange the egg carton cups into the shape of a watermelon slice.
Use the scoop to transfer the red rice into the red cups and the green rice into the green cups.
Finish by adding watermelon seeds to the red cups.
Benefits Of This Watermelon Fine Motor Activity
As a former teacher, I am a huge fan of learning through play. Kids think they are just having fun, but they are really building developmental skills they’ll need for everyday life and learning about the world. This watermelon fine motor activity:
- Strengthens fine motor muscles through scooping and grasping
- Builds hand-eye coordination and control
- Encourages color recognition and sorting skills
- Supports early math concepts like matching and categorizing
- Provides a calming and engaging screen-free activity
This fine motor activity isn’t just another “busy” activity (even though it will keep kids busy for a long time.) It’s learning and developing through play that kids will actually want to do.
Tips For This Fine Motor Activity
Keep the rice! You can sanitize and keep the colored rice for other fine motor activities. It’s really great when you’re in a pinch!
Encourage play! While the instructions have kids creating a watermelon with the egg carton cups and rice, kids can play with this watermelon sensory bin anyway they want to! The goal is for kids to be building motor skills – it doesn’t matter if they are building a watermelon, mixing the colored rice, or scooping with the egg carton cups. Kids will be building their developmental skills either way, so encourage them to play and have fun, even if it’s not exactly how you thought they would be playing.
Dying the rice and painting the cartons: I love to dye the rice first, then paint the egg cartons while it dries. This is a step you can have kids join in on, too! They can help dye the rice and cut and paint the egg carton cups.
Watermelon Crafts For Kids
Watermelon Windsock– Use a toilet paper roll and streamers to create an adorable watermelon-themed windsock that blows in the wind. It’s an easy summer craft that kids will love.
Watermelon Suncatcher– Create a beautiful watermelon suncatcher that gives all the stained-glass vibes! It’s easy to make and looks fabulous hung up on the window!
Summer Crafts For Kids
Mermaid Tail Craft– This mermaid tail craft uses construction paper, making it a super budget-friendly craft for kids. It’s so easy to make and looks fabulous!
Fork Painted Bee Craft– Kids will use a fork to paint an adorable bee and top it off with construction paper stripes and a drawn on face.
Fine Motor Skills Activities For Kids
Slime Recipes For Kids– Kids love slime, so why not lean into their preferences to build motor skills? This list of slime recipes has something for everyone. From construction pebble slime to edible slime to princess slime, kids will find a theme they like and play with it all day long!
Ice Fishing Sensory Bin– Kids will “save” fish from the ice in this fun sensory bin. Kids use a pipette to pour warm water (along with salt) on the frozen fish to melt the ice and rescue them.
How To Make A Watermelon Fine Motor Activity
This watermelon fine motor activity is a fun and easy way to build fine motor skills in toddlers and preschoolers! Perfect for summer theme play at home or in the classroom.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + dry time
- Total Time: 30 + dry time
- Category: Activities, DIY, Summer
- Method: Step-by-Step
Materials
● Egg carton cups
● Red and green paint
● Rice
● Red and green food paint
● Hand sanitizer
● Watermelon seeds or black beans
● Scoop or measuring spoon
● Tray or sensory bin
Instructions
1. Dye the rice red and green using paint and a few squirts of hand sanitizer. Spread it out to dry completely before play.
2. Cut apart egg carton cups and paint some red and some green. Let dry fully.
3. Add the red rice, green rice, painted egg carton cups, watermelon seeds, and scoop to a tray.
4. Encourage kids to arrange the egg carton cups into the shape of a watermelon slice.
5. Use the scoop to transfer the red rice into the red cups and the green rice into the green cups.
6. Finish by adding watermelon seeds to the red cups.
Leave a Reply