Pom-Pom Skyscraper

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5), School age (6+)
Play time:: 10 to 15 minutes
Setup:: 2 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

This fun building challenge strengthens the small, intricate muscles in the hand and improves the precise control and coordination needed for important school tasks like pencil grip and managing fasteners.

Steps

Set the foam block on the table with the toothpicks and small pom-poms beside it.
Ask your child to push toothpicks straight down into the foam, just deep enough to stand up, while the helper hand holds the block steady.
Show your child how to pinch a pom-pom by its sides and push it down onto a toothpick, then slide it to the bottom. Pinching the sides keeps fingertips away from the point.
Keep stacking pom-poms on the same toothpick, one on top of the next, to build a tall skyscraper.
Build a whole city of skyscrapers, with your child choosing the colors for each floor.
When the city is done, count the floors on each tower together, then slide the pom-poms off to build again.

Safety tip: Toothpicks can be sharp at both ends, so stay close and remind your child to keep them away from the face. Count the toothpicks before and after play.

Make it easier

Use cotton balls instead of pom-poms, since they are bigger and grip the toothpick tips well.
Use big pom-poms, which are easier to pinch and fill a toothpick with just two.
Set the foam block on a damp towel so it stays put while your child pushes.

Make it harder

Build a tower first, then have your child copy it floor by floor in the same colors.
Push some toothpicks deeper than others to build a city of tall and short towers in a pattern.
Place the pom-poms with tweezers without knocking over a tower.

What to watch for

Notice whether your child pushes each toothpick straight down or at an angle, and whether the helper hand keeps the block from sliding.
Watch how your child pinches each pom-pom. Thumb and fingertips on the sides give control and keep fingers clear of the point.
If the sharp tips worry your child, use golf tees instead, which are blunter, and rest the pom-poms in the cup at the top.

Where this helps in daily life

Placing something carefully on a small point uses the same steady fingertips kids need for putting a cap on a marker, stacking small blocks, and threading beads onto a string.

These activities are for home practice and don't replace the guidance of a licensed therapist.