Cardboard Shutter-Bug Camera

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5), Toddlers (1 to 3)
Play time:: 10 to 15 minutes
Setup:: 10 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

This activity helps your child use both hands together in a coordinated way. We call this bilateral coordination. They will also practice moving their fingers in specific ways to open and close the camera. This is great for building the foundation for zipping coats or using scissors. It encourages your child to plan their movements and focus on a fun goal.

Steps

Help your child cut a square hole in the middle of a sturdy cardboard piece.
Decorate the front of the camera with colorful markers and fun lens designs.
Tape a drawing of a funny face or animal behind the hole on the back.
Take two index cards and place them over the hole on the front side.
Tape only the far left and far right edges of the cards to the cardboard.
Ask your child to use their index fingers to pull the doors open from the center.
They can see the hidden photo and then push the doors shut again!

Safety tip: Always supervise your child while they use scissors. Make sure the cardboard edges are smooth to prevent any small scratches.

Make it easier

Fold a small tab at the inside edge of each door so there is something to pinch.
Use one bigger door instead of two, taped on one side like a book cover.
Let your child open the doors with a whole hand first, then try just the pointer fingers.

Make it harder

Swap in a new hidden picture each round and ask your child to guess it from a clue first.
Open one door with each pointer finger at exactly the same time, then close them together.
Draw a tiny detail in each picture, like a ladybug, for your child to find and name.

What to watch for

Notice whether your child slides a fingertip under the card edge or tries to grab the card with the whole hand.
Watch whether both doors open at the same time or one door opens and then the other.
If a surprise picture feels startling, show your child the picture first so opening the doors is a happy hello.

Where this helps in daily life

Getting a fingertip under an edge to lift it is the same move kids use to turn the pages of a book, open lift-the-flap books, and lift the lid of a lunch container.

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