This hatching egg activity provides the child with a fun chance to address fine motor skills and bilateral coordination.
Preparation:
Step 1: Draw a chick’s face on an oval-shaped construction paper.
Step 2: Cut the oval-shaped brown construction paper into cracks & tape it together onto the chick’s face.
Step 3: Have the child use both hands to pull off the brown eggshell from the baby chick.
For this activity, you will first need to create the button container using plastic containers with lids. Use the scissors to pierce a hole in the lid.
Take one button and insert a 3-inch pipe cleaner through 2 of the button holes.
Insert each edge of the pipe cleaner through the lid hole that you pierced and twist the 2 edges together on the bottom of the lid. This will hold the button in place on the lid.
Close the container with the lid so the button is at the top of the container.
Using a marker, mark a shape on the container.
Cut out pieces of felt in the same shapes that you marked the containers with. You can also use fabric for this.
Using the scissors, cut holes in the middle of each shape.
Provide the child with the button containers and the felt shapes. Ask the child to sort the felt pieces and button them on the right container marked with the matching shape.
For grading, you can use different sized buttons or you can also use one container with no marked shape and have the child follow a pattern from a visual model (i.e. button a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle in a repeated order).
Step 1: Draw straight lines across yellow/orange/brown construction paper. Use markers that draw thicker, darker lines.
Step 2: Fold paper in half, so that the marked lines are visible.
Step 3: Cut along the folded part (down the middle of the page).
Step 4: Cut along the marked lines.
Step 5: Place “french fries” in a container.
Step 6: Add shredded paper for an added effect.
Step 7: Toss with tongs.
Step 8: Enjoy!
Step 1: Take an empty cardboard box & glue construction paper around it. This simplifies the exterior to eliminate distractions.
Step 2: Use any toy or item in the house, so long as it is safe, to put in the box. Make sure the toy or item has an identical partner (i.e. use 2 identical markers, 2 identical stuffed animals, etc.).
Step 3: Place each toy or item inside the box (3-6 toys/items at a time), and keep the toy’s/item’s identical partners right next to you, so the child does not see them.
Step 4: Lay the box on a horizontal surface.
Step 5: Take any of the toys/items right next to you, and place 1 of them on top of the box.
Step 6: Ask, “Which one of these (the toys/items inside the box) feels like what this (the toy/item on top of the box) looks like?”
Step 7: Have the child reach into the box to feel all items, making sure they do not see.
Step 8: Have them place their answer on top of the box in order to see if they got it right.
Step 9: Repeat until they have correctly identified all items.
Step 1: Fold a construction paper in half and cut out shapes. This ensures that both you and your child have the exact same shapes to work with. To increase the challenge, cut out more shapes or cut out smaller shapes.
Step 2: Provide yourself with one set of shapes, and your child with the other set.
Step 3: Build a house with your set of shapes, then have your child replicate the exact structure with their set of shapes. To increase the challenge, have your child look away while you build your house.
Take note of the spacing between the shapes, the alignment of the shapes, and possible shape reversals and different orientations (i.e. Is the peak of your chimney closer to the left of the table, while your child’s is closer to the right of the table? Are there any shapes that are upside down? Does one house have a diamond and the other have a square for a door?). If there are any major differences, this is a great opportunity to identify them and work together to make corrections, while discussing why and how. Also, take note of how easy or challenging this was for them. Provide assistance, as needed.
Now, to get to building — enjoy!
