Foam Sheets - Page 2 of 3

Tee Punch Garden

Steps:

Set up the ‘garden’ by placing one thick foam sheet on a stable table or floor. If your foam is thin, layer two sheets for more resistance.
Introduce the golf tees as ‘planting tools.’ Show your child how to hold the tee using their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grip), similar to how they will hold a pencil.
Encourage your child to use their non-dominant (helper) hand to press down on and stabilize the foam sheet while their dominant hand pushes the tee straight down, punching a hole.
Continue punching holes until the foam sheet is full! This provides excellent resistance that strengthens the small muscles in the hand.
Finish the activity by using the pipe cleaners as ‘stems.’ Thread them into the punched holes to create a colorful, textured garden.
If desired, gently pull the tees out and repeat the whole process again to get extra strengthening practice.

Safety Tip:
Golf tees have a pointed end. Always supervise closely to ensure the child is pushing the tee into the foam and not near their face or body. Store the tees safely when not in use.

Foam Monster Feed

Steps:

An adult should cut out a large, fun shape from the Foam Sheet and Glue it securely onto the Plastic Container (this is the monster’s face).
Use Markers to draw a face. Then, carefully poke 10 to 15 small holes through the Foam and Container. The holes should be slightly smaller than the Pipe Cleaners for good resistance.
Place the container on the table. Ask your child to use one hand to firmly hold the container steady (proximal stability).
Challenge your child to use their dominant hand to pick up one Pipe Cleaner (the “monster snack”) using a precise Pincer Grasp.
Encourage them to push the pipe cleaner straight into one of the resistant holes to ‘feed’ the monster. The pushing provides great heavy work for their hands.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners can have sharp ends after cutting or pose a mild choking hazard if put in the mouth. Ensure the bucket is stable before the child pushes the materials.

Sequin Push Maze

Steps:

Use a marker to draw a winding path or simple maze onto the foam sheet.
Place the foam sheet flat on the table. Ask your child to hold the sheet steady with their helper hand.
Put a small pile of colorful sequins at the starting point of the maze.
Challenge your child to pick up one sequin using a strong pincer grasp.
Switch grip: Use only the tip of their pointer finger to gently push the sequin along the drawn line to the finish.
The child must use steady pressure and friction to keep the sequin moving without flying off the foam.

Safety Tip:
Sequins are very small objects. Close adult supervision is required throughout the activity as they pose a significant choking hazard for children under five.

Sticky Shape Rescue

Preschooler crossing midline to peel an orange foam shape from a wall, an occupational therapy activity for bilateral hand use and motor planning.

Steps:

Use Masking Tape to create a large rectangle outline (the “Rescue Zone”) on a sturdy wall or door at eye level for your child.
Cut various simple shapes (squares, triangles, circles) from Foam Sheets or Construction Paper. Using small rolled pieces of tape, stick these shapes randomly onto the wall *outside* the Rescue Zone.
Challenge your child to “rescue” the shapes by carefully peeling them off the wall. Encourage them to use one hand to stabilize the wall (the helper hand) while the other hand peels the shape.
Once rescued, the child must carry the shape and place it *inside* the taped Rescue Zone. They can match colors or simply stack them inside the boundary.

Safety Tip:
Ensure the working surface is clean and safe, and always supervise when the child is reaching high or standing near a door frame.

Cut Me a Tree

For this activity, you will need to use brown and green construction paper.

Have the child trace your hand on the green paper, then trace one or two of their own. On the brown paper, ask the child to draw a large rectangle (depending on the child’s developmental skills, you might have him trace or copy the rectangle). Let the child cut the traced hands and rectangle he drew.

On a large piece of construction paper, have the child glue the large hand on the rectangle, fingers pointing down, then the other hands, fingers pointing down as well (for a blooming tree, have the child glue the traced hands with the fingers pointing up). Using colored foam sheets, let the child draw and cut other shapes, then glue them on the tree as ornaments or flowers. To promote pincer grasp, have the child use the stickers for additional decorations.