Cardboard Link Structures
Purpose
This activity is an excellent way to prepare little hands for handwriting and self-help skills. Cutting thick cardboard provides heavy resistance, which wakes up the tiny muscles inside the hand (intrinsic muscles) and builds finger strength. When your child slots the pieces together, they are practicing bilateral hand use (using both hands together) and motor planning to figure out how the pieces fit to build a tower. This process improves visual motor skills and focus.
Activity Steps
Steps:
- Use markers to draw several long strips (about 1 inch wide) onto a piece of firm cardboard. Draw a few simple shapes like squares or circles, too.
- Encourage your child to use child-safe scissors to carefully cut along the marker lines. Cutting the thick cardboard requires a strong grasp and finger effort!
- Adult Step: Take the cardboard strips and shapes. Cut 2-3 short, narrow slits (about 1/2 inch deep) into the edges of each piece. Ensure the slits are slightly wider than the cardboard thickness.
- Challenge your child to connect the cardboard pieces by sliding the slits into each other. The goal is to build a tall, unique, free-standing structure by linking all the pieces.
- Encourage your child to use one hand to hold the structure steady while the other hand works to push and maneuver the joining pieces into place.
Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required during all cutting phases. For children under 5, ensure all small cardboard scraps are immediately collected and discarded, as they may pose a choking hazard.
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