Roller Path Painting
- Play time:
- 10 to 15 minutes
- Setup:
- 5 minutes
- Where:
- Table
Why it helps
Rolling the painted tube along a zigzag road asks your child to steer with both hands and keep the roller between the lines, which builds eye-hand coordination and steady wrist control. Painting a ring around the tube while one hand turns it gets both hands working together. Lifting the roller and lining it up for each new part of the road practices the planning used in drawing and early writing.
Steps
- Before play, use a marker to draw a zigzag road on the paper plate. Draw two lines about 1 inch apart for the edges of the road.
- Pour a little tempera paint into the shallow container. Slide a pencil through the paper roll so it pokes out at both ends like a handle.
- Ask your child to hold one end of the pencil and use the paint brush to paint a ring of color, about 1 inch wide, around the middle of the tube.
- Show your child how to hold both ends of the pencil, set the painted ring at the start of the road, and push so the tube rolls along it.
- Ask your child to roll along one straight part of the road, then lift the roller, turn it, and line it up with the next part.
- Brush on more paint whenever the line gets faint, and keep rolling until the whole road is covered in color.
Safety tip: Use washable, nontoxic paint and stay close so paint stays away from the mouth and eyes. Show your child how to keep the pencil point away from the face.
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 Distal Finger Control, 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.
