Hanger - OTPlan

The Hanger Button Rescue

Steps:

Take a plastic hanger and wrap several strips of masking tape around the bottom bar.
Ensure the sticky side of the tape is facing out toward your child.
Press ten colorful buttons onto the sticky tape at different spots.
Have your child hold the top of the hanger with one hand to stabilize it.
Use the other hand to carefully peel each button off the tape using a pinch.
Have them drop each rescued button into a nearby plastic container.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are a significant choking hazard. Always supervise your child during play and ensure all buttons are stored safely after the activity.

The Hanger Bead Elevator

Steps:

Use your scissors to cut three pieces of yarn, each about twelve inches long.
Tie the top of each piece of yarn to the bottom bar of the hanger.
Slide one large bead onto the bottom of each piece of yarn.
Tie a big knot at the bottom of the yarn so the beads stay on.
Have your child use a clothespin to pinch the bead and the yarn together.
Challenge them to slide the clothespin and bead all the way up to the top!
Ask them to move the bead back down slowly without letting it drop.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during this activity as small beads are a choking hazard.

The Hanger Puppet Parade

Steps:

Draw three colorful characters on construction paper using your markers.
Carefully cut out each character using your scissors.
Cut three pieces of yarn, each about five inches long.
Tie one piece of yarn to the top of each paper character.
Hold the hanger steady with your non-dominant hand.
Pinch a clothespin to clip the yarn to the bottom bar of the hanger.
Hold the hanger’s hook and move it slowly from left to right.
See your puppets parade through the air!

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required when using scissors and yarn to ensure safety.

Hang Up a Pattern

On an index card or a piece of paper, draw a pattern of colors, letters, or numbers (you can also mix the symbols).

Draw the matching symbols on the bottom part of the clothespins.

Place the index card and the clothespins in front of the child. Ask the child to hold the top part of the hanger with his non-dominant hand.

Review the pattern with the child first, then ask the child to use the dominant hand to find the clothespin that has the first symbol in the raw.

Instruct the child to place the clothespin he found on the hanger, reinforcing him to use pincer grasp to open the clothespin, and crossing his mid-line by placing the clothespin on the opposite side of the hanger (i.e. if the child is right hand dominant, he will start placing the clothespins on the left side of the hanger).

Have the child continue following the pattern, placing all the matching clothespins on the hanger.