Cardboard - Page 4 of 36

The Paper Roll Pincer Squeezer

Steps:

Use your scissors to cut several empty paper rolls into small rings about one inch thick.
Let your child decorate each ring with colorful patterns using the markers.
Adult Step: Cut four narrow vertical slots into a flat piece of sturdy cardboard base.
Ask your child to use their thumb and pointer finger to squeeze one paper roll ring until it is flat.
Challenge them to slide the flattened ring into a slot on the cardboard base to make it stand up.
Continue squeezing and sliding more rings into each other to build a tall and wobbly sculpture!
Encourage your child to use their helper hand to hold the base steady while the other hand adds new pieces.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are using scissors. Make sure the cardboard edges are smooth to avoid any small scrapes during play.

The Cardboard Shutter-Bug Camera

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.

The Masking Tape Finger Ladder

Steps:

Tape a large piece of cardboard vertically to a wall at your child’s eye level.
Use a marker to draw two long vertical lines on the cardboard to look like a ladder frame.
Cut ten short strips of masking tape using your scissors.
Stick the tape strips between the lines to create the ladder rungs.
Ask your child to ‘walk’ their index and middle fingers up the ladder like a tiny person.
Once they reach the top, have them use their pinching fingers to peel the top rung off.
Continue walking and peeling until every rung is in a pile on the floor!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely during play. Ensure they do not put masking tape in their mouth. Make sure the cardboard is secured firmly to the wall.

Button Shadow Alignment

Steps:

Tape a piece of butcher paper onto a flat piece of cardboard.
Place the board in a sunny spot to create clear shadows.
Put five buttons on the paper and trace each shadow carefully.
Move the buttons into a pile away from the outlines.
Ask your child to pick up a button using their pincer grasp.
Challenge them to match each button to its correct shadow shape.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are a choking hazard. Always supervise your child during play and keep small parts away from the mouth.

The Wobbly Tightrope Balance

Steps:

Use scissors to cut a long cardboard strip, about ten inches long.
Use your markers and ruler to draw a straight line down the middle.
Color the left side blue and the right side orange.
Squeeze two clothespins and clip them to the bottom to make legs.
Stand the cardboard strip upright on a flat table.
Hand your child a basket of colorful clothespins.
Ask them to hold the wobbly cardboard steady with their helper hand.
Use their pinching fingers to clip clothespins onto the top edge.
Challenge them to match the color of the pins to the cardboard side.
Gently place a pom-pom into each clipped pin to finish!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child closely during play. Clothespins can pinch little fingers, and pom-poms are a choking hazard.