Balance the Beans

Purpose:

This activity promotes balance and eye-hand coordination. In addition, it provides tactile input as the child submerges his hand in a container filled with beans.

Skills: Balance(?) The ability to move or remain in a certain position without losing control or falling., Eye-Hand Coordination, Motor Planning(?) Motor planning is the ability to assess a motor activity, plan and organize how to carry out that motor activity, and finally implement motor skills to achieve that motor activity. Motor planning leads to the ability to carry out a motor skill automatically after enough practice., Tactile Perception(?) Tactile Perception (sometimes referred to as touch perception) is the brain's ability to understand (perceive) what the hands are feeling.
Materials: Beans, Container, Masking Tape, Spoon

Place a container full of beans on one end of the room or the area you work in and an empty container on the other end.

Use the tape to mark a straight line between the two containers. Have the child hold the spoon in one hand (preferably the child’s preferred hand) and ask the child to scoop a spoonful of beans.

Instruct the child to walk on the line that you’ve marked and transferred the beans on his spoon from one side to the other side, placing the beans in the empty container.

Repeat the activity until the empty container is filled with beans.

To provide proprioceptive input, ask the child to use animal walks (i.e. bear walk, crab walk, frog jumps, etc.) to get back to the starting point side (where the container filled with beans is).

You can also mark a curved path or a crooked path with the tape or you can use a balance beam to make the activity more challenging.

For strengthening purpose, you can put a weighted wrist bend on the child’s hand (the one used to hold the spoon).

It’s also fun to do this activity in a group session. Have a spoon rally to see who can fill up the empty container first.

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