Sticky Cup Treasure Grab

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5), Toddlers (1 to 3)
Play time:: 5 to 10 minutes
Setup:: 2 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

This playful mission transforms tidy-up time into an exciting game. By using a sticky cup, your child works on reaching and hand-eye coordination. It highlights the control needed to aim the cup and the finger strength used to peel items off. These skills are vital for future tasks like writing or dressing. Your child will love reaching across their body to find every hidden fuzzy treasure! Choking risk: pom-poms can be a choking hazard. Stay within arm's reach, and keep them away from children who still put things in their mouths.

Steps

Make a long loop of masking tape with the sticky side out. Slip it over the bottom of a paper cup and slide it up until it fits snugly around the middle.
Choose pom-poms that suit your child. Toddlers use only jumbo pom-poms, at least two inches across, and preschoolers can use smaller ones.
Sit your child at a low table. Scatter the pom-poms only on the side opposite the hand that will hold the cup.
Set the container on the same side as the cup hand.
Ask your child to hold the cup by its rim, reach across the body, and press the sticky tape onto a pom-pom until it sticks.
Show your child how to use the other hand to peel the pom-pom off and drop it into the container.
Keep going until the far side is clear. Then switch hands and scatter the pom-poms on the other side.

Safety tip: Toddlers use only jumbo pom-poms, and an adult stays right beside them. Keep small pom-poms and tape scraps away from mouths, and throw the tape away after play.

Make it easier

Use just a few pom-poms so the table is quick to clear.
Put a few pom-poms close to the cup hand first, then spread the rest farther across the table.
Wrap two rows of tape so more of the cup is sticky and easier to land on a pom-pom.

Make it harder

Place each color in its own spot on the far side of the body and call out the color to collect next.
Pick up three pom-poms in a row on one cup, then peel them off in the same order.
Sort the peeled pom-poms into separate cups by color.

What to watch for

Notice whether your child reaches across the body with the cup or passes it to the other hand when a pom-pom is on the far side.
Watch how your child holds the cup by the rim: fingertips around the edge, or a whole hand over the top.
If the sticky tape bothers your child's fingers, let them scrape the pom-poms off with a craft stick.

Where this helps in daily life

Reaching across the body and holding a cup by its rim help kids wipe a table from side to side, pass a bowl at dinner, and carry a cup without squeezing it.

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