Stick Animals

Purpose:

Promote fine motor control skills and bilateral use of hands by using pipe cleaners and a craft stick. Create a small play animals and decorate it.

Skills: Bilateral Hand Use(?) The use of both hands simultaneously, in a controlled manner, to perform an activity (i.e. clapping hands, using your one hand to hold a pencil while the other is used to stabilize the paper)., Eye-Hand Coordination, Fine Motor Control, Finger Strength, Grasp, Motor Planning(?) Motor planning is the ability to assess a motor activity, plan and organize how to carry out that motor activity, and finally implement motor skills to achieve that motor activity. Motor planning leads to the ability to carry out a motor skill automatically after enough practice., Pincer Grasp(?) The pincer grasp is the coordination of the index finger and thumb to hold an item. Each time you hold a pen or button your shirt, you’re using the pincer grasp. Pincer grasp is a hand grasp that develops around the time a baby is 8-10 months old. This grasp corresponds to the time a baby is beginning to feed themselves finger foods. The pincer grasp is needed in order to grasp a small item, pinch it between the index and thumb and bring it to the mouth.
Materials: Craft Sticks, Glue, Markers, Pipe Cleaners, Scissors, Stickers

For each animal, you will need to use 1 craft stick and 3 pipe cleaners.

The craft stick will be used as the animal’s body and the pipe cleaners will be used as the front and back legs, as well as the tail.

Let the child find the middle point of the pipe cleaner.

Ask the child to twist the pipe cleaner around the craft stick from both ends of the pipe cleaner along one side of the craft stick.

Ask the child to stop twisting the pipe cleaner when about 1.5″ is left from each side. These can be shaped like the legs by bending the ends of the pipe cleaner forward.

Repeat the pipe cleaner twisting above on the other end of the craft stick.

Cut a small piece of the 3rd pipe cleaner and let the child glue it to the end of the craft stick. This will be used as the animal’s tale.

The child can now draw a face on the front end of the craft stick or use stickers to decorate his animal.

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