Masking Tape - Page 47 of 50

Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off

A preschooler uses fine motor skills and a pincer grasp to pull a pom-pom off tacky masking tape on a vertical surface, demonstrating the Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off activity for improved shoulder stability and hand strength.

Steps:

Tape a piece of construction paper vertically to a door or wall using masking tape. This is your ‘puzzle board.’
Use small loops of masking tape to stick several pom-poms and stickers onto the construction paper. Make sure they are secure enough to stay put but loose enough to be pulled off with some effort.
Challenge your preschooler to ‘rescue’ the materials from the tacky tape! Encourage them to stand and use both hands—one hand to stabilize the paper and the other hand to pull the items off using a pincer grasp.
For an added challenge, hide small plastic animals or lightweight blocks under larger pieces of tape, requiring more effort and bilateral hand use to tear the tape away.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise vertical activities to ensure the child does not climb or lean heavily on the surface. Check that the masking tape used does not damage the wall or door finish upon removal.

Hatching Egg

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.

“The Claw”

Preparation:

Take an empty cardboard box (with openings that create handles), and insert a gift wrapping paper tube through the openings.
Tape a long piece of yarn to the gift wrapping paper tube.
Draw a Toy Story Alien & cut it out.
Tape the alien to the other end of the yarn.

Play:

Have the child place both hands toward the ends of gift wrapping paper tube (“The Claw”), to reel in the alien.

Instruct the child to use alternating hands, or both hands at the same time.

To add a challenge, have the child use their non-dominant hand, create a longer line of yarn, or add resistance.

To add resistance, draw and cut out an alien on 2 pieces of paper, place beans on one paper, then staple the other paper on top to seal the beans inside.

Newspaper Dance

Challenge your child’s core muscles by having them stand on a newspaper page (or paper bag, or another safe alternative you may have in your home).

This game works like Musical Chairs.

Play a song and have the child dance.

When the song stops, the child must stand on the newspaper page.

If the child does not step outside of the newspaper page boundary, fold the newspaper page in half.

Continue this until the child is unable to stand without stepping outside of the boundary.

Use painter’s tape to hold the newspaper page in place to prevent slips/falls.

You may see your child transitioning from standing with a typical stance, then standing with feet close together, then standing on one foot, then standing on tip-toes. This challenges their core!

Increase the challenge by:

Playing with an appropriate peer on the same newspaper page – be ready to catch anyone who loses balance!

Construction Paper Guitar

Using a large piece of cardboard or construction paper, draw the shape of the guitar’s body. If the child is able to draw it by himself, allow him to do so. Otherwise, let the child trace your drawing, using a thick marker.

Ask the child to cut out the shape, following the lines. Depending on the child’s skill level, make the line thicker, and provide support as needed. Once the child cuts out the guitar’s shape out, ask him to draw or trace a circle in the middle of the guitar’s body. You can use a round object to help with drawing an accurate shape.

Instruct the child to cut out the circle, providing support as needed.

Using a single hole puncher, carefully have the child punch three holes on either side of the circle he just cut. Using 3 rubber bands, ask the child to cut through them so they are now one long string.

Instruct the child to thread each rubber band across 2 parallel holes, and tie on each end. Provide support as needed for tying the rubbers in place.

Using another piece of cardboard or construction paper, ask the child to draw or trace a rectangle. Instruct the child to cut it out, and use the glue and tape to attach it to the top part of the guitar’s body. To make the guitar look more life like, ask the child to draw lines continuing from the bands up the stem of the guitar.