Vertical Felt Leaf Clip
- Play time:
- 10 to 15 minutes
- Setup:
- 10 minutes
- Where:
- Wall or easel
Why it helps
This activity helps your child build the finger strength needed for buttons and zippers. By working on a vertical surface, they also strengthen their shoulders and core. It is a playful way to practice reaching across the middle of their body too!
Steps
- Before play, draw a thick, winding vine about two inches wide on a large piece of thin cardboard, like a cereal box, and cut it out.
- Tape only the top of the vine to a wall at your child's eye level, so the rest hangs free and clips can grab its edges.
- Cut several leaf shapes from the felt.
- Ask your child to hold a leaf against the edge of the vine with one hand.
- Show your child how to squeeze a clothespin open with the thumb and pointer finger and clip the leaf onto the vine edge.
- Keep clipping leaves up and down both sides of the vine.
- Challenge your child to reach across the body to clip leaves on the far side.
Safety tip: Clothespins can pinch, so show your child where to squeeze. An adult does the cutting and checks that the tape holds the vine firmly.
Make it easier
- Hold each leaf against the vine for your child so they only need to squeeze and clip.
- Choose clothespins with a light spring, which take less squeezing.
- Tape the vine lower, at chest height, and start with leaves on the same side as the clipping hand.
Make it harder
- Write numbers on the leaves and clip them along the vine in order from bottom to top.
- Ask your child to squeeze each clothespin with just the thumb and pointer fingertip.
- Put the leaf pile on the floor on the opposite side, so your child bends, reaches across, and stretches up for each one.
What to watch for
- Notice how your child squeezes the clothespin: with the fingertips near the end, or with the side of the finger and the whole hand.
- Watch the arm when your child reaches high. If the elbow drops often or the arm shakes, a lower vine can help.
- Notice whether your child reaches across the body for leaves on the far side, or shuffles over to face them.
Where this helps in daily life
Squeezing a clothespin open uses the same pinch as opening a chip clip or a hair clip, and working with the arms raised helps with hanging a coat on a hook.
Need personalized support?
While these activities are great for home practice, nothing replaces the guidance of a licensed therapist. If you are in Irvine, CA or the Orange County area and have concerns about your child's Crossing Midline, we invite you to connect with us.
Contact Tumble N' Dots Therapy →These activities are for home practice and don't replace the guidance of a licensed therapist.
