Crumpled Leaf Twig Tree
- Play time:
- 15 to 20 minutes
- Setup:
- 5 minutes
- Where:
- Table
Why it helps
This activity helps your child develop the small muscles in their hands. Squeezing clothespins is great for building the strength needed for scissors and pencils. Crumpling paper into tiny balls works on finger dexterity and coordination. By reaching into the branches, they also practice stabilizing their shoulder and arm. It is a wonderful way to turn a nature find into a tactile art project!
Steps
- Stand your branch inside the container using a large lump of playdough.
- Encourage your child to tear strips of tissue paper with both hands.
- Ask them to crumple the paper into small balls using only their fingertips.
- Have your child pick up a clothespin and squeeze it open.
- They must trap a tissue paper leaf inside the clothespin.
- Challenge them to clip the leaf onto a twig on the branch.
- Continue until the branch is full of colorful tissue paper leaves!
Safety tip: Adult supervision is required. Small pieces of tissue paper and playdough can be a choking hazard. Watch for sharp twigs on the branches.
Make it easier
- Use bigger pieces of tissue so the balls are larger and easier to crumple.
- Let your child crumple the paper with both hands, or roll it between the palms.
- Hold the branch steady for your child while they clip, so it does not wobble.
Make it harder
- Crumple each leaf with one hand only, using just the fingertips, without help from the other hand.
- Make leaves in fall colors and clip them in a pattern, like red, yellow, orange.
- Clip leaves only onto the thinnest twigs near the top of the branch.
What to watch for
- Notice whether your child crumples the tissue with the fingertips of one hand or squeezes it in the palm.
- Watch which fingers squeeze the clothespin, and whether the other hand holds the branch steady.
- If the crinkly tissue paper bothers your child, crumple paper napkins instead, or use pom-poms as leaves.
Where this helps in daily life
Crumpling paper with the fingertips of one hand builds the same in-hand skills kids use to move a coin from palm to fingertips, turn a pencil to use the eraser, and hold several small items in one hand.
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 In-hand Manipulation, 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.
