Foil Drip Maze
Purpose
This activity is a great way to improve hand strength and precision grasp (pincer control) by requiring the child to delicately squeeze and release the eyedropper, which are foundational skills for managing small items and eventually holding a pencil.
Activity Steps
Steps:
- Prepare the maze surface: Cover a flat piece of cardboard entirely with aluminum foil, crimping the edges up slightly to create a sturdy, shallow tray (this is your waterproof maze board).
- Use markers to draw a simple maze or a winding path on the foil surface. Draw a start circle and a finish circle for the water drop to travel between.
- Mix a small amount of water with food coloring in a container. Demonstrate how to load the eyedropper by squeezing the bulb using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and index finger) and drawing up the colored water.
- Challenge your child to hold the eyedropper over the start circle and release a single drop. Then, they must carefully angle the tray (bilateral hands) and/or use the eyedropper to push the drop along the marker-drawn path to the finish line, practicing fine control and precision.
Safety Tip:
Ensure close supervision as small objects (like eyedropper parts) and colored water are used. Always supervise to prevent ingestion of materials.
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