Cardboard Coin Slide
- Play time:
- 10 to 15 minutes
- Setup:
- 5 minutes
- Where:
- Table
Why it helps
This fun activity helps your child practice using both hands together. One hand holds the cardboard ramp steady. The other hand carefully releases the coin. This builds focus and hand coordination. It also encourages visual tracking as they follow the coin down. You can change the slope of the ramp to see how fast the coin rolls. It is a simple way to build motor control! Choking risk: coins can be a choking hazard. Stay within arm's reach, and keep them away from children who still put things in their mouths.
Steps
- Adult: Cut a long, narrow rectangle from your cardboard to make a ramp.
- Use masking tape to attach a paper cup to a table edge as a goal.
- Ask your child to hold the top of the ramp with their helper hand.
- Encourage them to use their other hand to pinch a coin at the top.
- Aim the bottom of the cardboard ramp toward the paper cup target.
- Release the coin and watch it slide into the cup!
- Move the cup to different spots to change the angle and challenge level.
Safety tip: Always supervise your child while playing with coins. Coins are a choking hazard. Ensure the cardboard edges are smooth to prevent scratches.
Make it easier
- Tape strips of cardboard along the ramp edges as walls.
- Put the cup right at the bottom of the ramp.
- Use quarters, which are bigger to pinch and slide more steadily.
Make it harder
- Use a smaller cup as the target, or move it a little to one side.
- Line up three cups and call out which one to aim for.
- Release the coins with the non-dominant hand.
What to watch for
- Notice whether your child lets go of the coin cleanly with the fingertips or pushes it down the ramp.
- Watch whether your child changes the angle of the ramp after a miss.
- If coins stick partway down, show your child how raising the top of the ramp makes it steeper and faster.
Where this helps in daily life
Pinching a flat coin and letting go at just the right spot is the same control kids use to drop coins into a piggy bank and put a token into a game slot.
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 Bilateral Hand Use, 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.
