Coil Drop Target
Purpose
This fun activity works on crucial fine motor skills necessary for writing and self-feeding. Using the eyedropper strengthens the intrinsic hand muscles and develops pincer control. The child must use great precision to successfully drop liquid into the narrow pipe cleaner coils. This process improves their eye-hand coordination and helps them practice grading the force of their squeeze. Stabilizing the cup while working promotes excellent proximal stability at the shoulder and elbow.
Activity Steps
Steps:
- Adult Prep: Tightly coil 5 to 6 pipe cleaners into small, narrow spirals or loops to create the targets.
- Clip one pipe cleaner spiral onto the open end of a clothespin. Repeat this for all the coils.
- Fill a separate container halfway with water and add a few drops of food coloring to create ‘magic potion.’
- Ask your child to clip the clothespin targets onto the rim of the paper cup, making sure the coils hang inside.
- Challenge your child to hold the eyedropper with a neat pincer grasp, suck up the colored water, and carry it to the paper cup.
- Carefully aim the eyedropper and squeeze gently to deposit the colored drops into the narrow opening of the pipe cleaner coil. Repeat until the coils are full.
Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a potential choking hazard for young children. Ensure the colored water is not ingested.
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