Felt Tunnel Push

Felt Tunnel Push

Steps:

  • Adult Prep: Cut a strip of felt. Glue it tightly around a short paper roll. Secure the roll standing vertically onto the cardboard base.
  • Place a pom-pom just inside the top opening of the felt tunnel. Hold the cardboard base steady with your helper hand.
  • Pick up a craft stick. Aim the stick straight down at the pom-pom.
  • Use a strong, controlled push to drive the stick down. Force the pom-pom all the way through the resistant felt tunnel.
  • The pom-pom should pop out the bottom onto the table. Repeat this process until all the pom-poms are pushed through.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pom-poms are small objects and pose a choking hazard for young children. Adults should handle the scissors during preparation.

Cardboard Confetti Collage

Cardboard Confetti Collage

Steps:

  • Use masking tape to secure the large piece of cardboard firmly onto the table. This acts as your stable canvas.
  • Give your child a stack of index cards. Encourage them to use the hole puncher to make many small circles (confetti). Squeezing the puncher requires strength!
  • Challenge your child to tear the remaining index cards into tiny, jagged pieces using both hands together.
  • Now, use only the fingertips to crumple and squeeze the punched circles and torn pieces into tight, dense confetti balls.
  • Draw a simple shape (like a circle or heart) onto the cardboard using glue from the bottle. Use controlled squeezing.
  • Use a careful pincer grasp to pick up the sequins and crumpled confetti. Press them onto the wet glue to create a colorful, textured collage.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Sequins and crumpled paper pieces are small objects and pose a choking hazard for children under five. Ensure all materials are used only as intended and collected immediately after play.

Pom-Pom Skewer Push

Pom-Pom Skewer Push

Steps:

  • Adult Prep: Secure a thick piece of cardboard firmly onto the inside of the plastic container lid using glue. This creates a stable, resistant base for planting.
  • Place the Q-Tips and pom-poms in separate containers. Ask your child to hold one pom-pom steady with their helper hand to stabilize it.
  • Challenge your child to pick up a Q-Tip using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).
  • Encourage them to push the Q-Tip straight through the middle of the resistant pom-pom. They need controlled force to do this without bending the Q-Tip.
  • Once the pom-pom is skewered, hold the container base steady with the helper hand.
  • Aim the Q-Tip stick and push it firmly into the resistant cardboard base to create a colorful, dense forest of pom-poms.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Q-Tips and small pom-poms are choking hazards for children under five. Ensure materials are not placed in the mouth, nose, or ears.

Ripped Line Art

Ripped Line Art

Steps:

  • Secure the cardboard vertically to a wall or door at your child’s chest height.
  • Use a marker to draw several long, curvy, or zigzag lines onto the cardboard surface.
  • Give your child a piece of construction paper. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the paper into small, jagged pieces. This takes strong finger effort!
  • Drop the torn pieces into the plastic container nearby.
  • Now, use the glue bottle to draw a thick, wavy line of glue directly next to one of the marker lines.
  • Challenge your child to pick up the torn paper pieces using a neat pincer grasp. Press each piece firmly onto the wet glue line, filling the entire path.
  • Repeat this process, covering all the drawn lines with colorful ripped paper pieces.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure that small pieces of torn paper are not put into the mouth, nose, or ears, as they pose a choking hazard for children under five. Ensure the vertical board is stable and secured well.

Felt Resistance Wall

Felt Resistance Wall

Steps:

  • Adult Prep: Cut a sturdy rectangle from the cardboard. Cut 5 to 6 narrow strips of felt, about 1 inch wide.
  • Help your child glue the felt strips vertically onto the cardboard. Leave a very narrow gap between each felt strip to create resistant channels.
  • Once the glue is completely dry, have your child hold the cardboard firmly with their helper hand to keep the wall steady.
  • Challenge your child to pick up a craft stick. Push the stick straight through one of the narrow felt channels. This requires controlled force.
  • Continue inserting all the sticks into the wall, working to keep the cardboard from tipping or moving during the push.
  • When finished, gently pull the sticks out (working those muscles again!) and repeat the building process.

Safety Tip:
Maintain constant adult supervision, especially during the preparation phase involving scissors and glue. Ensure the child pushes the sticks away from their face and body to prevent accidental poking.