Markers - Page 33 of 53

Foil Sticker Peel

Steps:

Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil. Lay it flat on the table and smooth out the wrinkles.
Use markers to draw 10 to 12 small circles randomly across the foil surface. These are your sticker targets.
Place a few small stickers (dot stickers work best) onto the plastic container lid. Press them down firmly so they are hard to peel.
Ask your child to hold the container steady with their helper hand. Use the tweezers to grasp the edge of a sticky sticker.
Peel the sticker off the container lid against the resistance. This requires controlled, strong force.
Carefully carry the sticker over the foil and use the tweezers to press the sticker onto a marker circle. Repeat until all stickers are placed.

Safety Tip:
Due to the small size of the stickers and tweezers, constant and direct adult supervision is required. These materials are choking hazards for children who still place objects in their mouths.

Foam Fortress Cut

Steps:

Draw several thick, straight lines or simple shapes (like squares and rectangles) onto the foam sheets using markers.
Help your child position the foam on a stable table. Encourage them to hold the foam firmly with their non-dominant hand to keep it from slipping.
Challenge the child to cut along the drawn lines using child-safe scissors. Cutting through the thick foam requires a strong, sustained squeeze.
Once all the foam pieces are cut, choose two pieces and align their edges. Push them firmly together to connect them and create a small structure.
Continue connecting the foam pieces by pushing their edges together until the entire ‘fortress’ or structure is complete. Try to make it as tall as possible.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Ensure the child uses age-appropriate scissors safely and monitors the position of their helper hand, keeping fingers away from the cutting path.

Taut String Barrier Push

Steps:

An adult should cut a sturdy rectangle from the cardboard. Use markers to draw a simple picture on the cardboard, like a big car or boat.
Wrap several lengths of string or yarn tightly across the cardboard surface. Crisscross the strings both horizontally and vertically to create a resistant ‘gate’ barrier over the picture.
Secure the ends of the string firmly with tape on the back of the cardboard. Ensure the strings are taut and resistant.
Place the yarn gate barrier flat on a table. Ask your child to hold the cardboard firmly with their helper hand to keep it stable.
Pick up one craft stick. Challenge your child to use the stick to push and weave straight through the resistant yarn gate until the stick is completely past the barrier.
Encourage strong, controlled pushes. Repeat the process to push all the sticks through the resistant strings and fill the picture.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Craft sticks and small pieces of tape or string are small objects. They pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Q-Tip Basket Weave

Steps:

Use a marker to draw 10 to 12 dots evenly spaced around the top of the container lid. An adult should use the hole puncher to create a tight hole at each dot.
Place the container on a stable table. Hold the container firmly with your helper hand to keep it from moving.
Use your working hand to pick up a Q-Tip using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger). Push the Q-Tip straight into a hole until it sticks out slightly on the inside.
Repeat this process until all holes are filled, creating a standing Q-Tip fence around the lid.
Give the child a long piece of yarn or string. Tie a knot on the starting Q-Tip.
Challenge them to weave the yarn over the first Q-Tip and under the next one. Continue weaving in this over-under pattern all the way around the fence. Pull the string tight to reinforce the basket structure.

Safety Tip:
Q-Tips and yarn are small objects that pose a choking hazard. Constant and direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity. Adults should handle the scissors and hole puncher during preparation.

Foil Rod Roller

Steps:

Tear off a 6-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Encourage your child to use both hands to tear the resistant material.
Use both hands together to strongly crumple and squeeze the foil into a very tight, dense sphere. Focus on making it as hard as a rock!
Choose a craft stick. Decorate the stick with markers if desired. Hold the stick firmly using a comfortable grasp.
Hold the resistant foil ball steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to aim and push the craft stick straight through the center of the foil sphere.
Apply strong, controlled pressure until the stick pushes all the way through to the other side of the foil ball. You have created a Foil Rod!
Repeat the process to create several Foil Rods. Challenge your child to connect them end-to-end to build a unique 3D sculpture or tower.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure children compress the foil tightly to avoid sharp edges. Collect all small materials immediately after play, as they pose a potential choking hazard.