Plastic Container - Page 12 of 14

Twisty Cap Match

Steps:

Use markers to draw matching colors or simple patterns (like stripes or dots) onto the plastic bottle caps and the tops of the bottles.
Place one small button inside each empty plastic bottle. This gives auditory feedback when the cap is removed.
Challenge your child to hold the bottle firmly with their helper hand to keep it stable on the table.
Use the dominant hand to pick up the cap and twist it tightly onto the matching bottle. Focus on smooth, repetitive wrist twisting.
Once all caps are on, practice twisting them off quickly to ‘rescue’ the buttons inside. Put the buttons back in the container to start a new round.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are small items. Always supervise children closely during this activity to prevent a choking hazard.

Foil River Rock Toss

Steps:

Tear off a large, square piece of aluminum foil (about 12 inches per side). Tearing this resistant material gives hands a great workout.
Use two hands to crumple the foil. Squeeze it intensely into the smallest, tightest ‘river rock’ ball possible.
Set up the target: Use masking tape to secure two small paper cups firmly inside the large plastic container.
Stand back slightly from the target container. Carefully toss the heavy foil rock, aiming for one of the narrow paper cup targets.
Repeat this process until you have used all the foil. Try tossing from different angles or distances for an extra challenge.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise children closely during this activity. Ensure the foil pieces are crumpled tightly into balls before handling to eliminate sharp edges. Remind the child to stay behind the toss line during play.

Beach Cup

This beach cup activity provides the child with a fun chance to build trust with new food items through play and creating.

You can substitute the different ingredients to make your own creation.

Preparation:

Step 1: Squeeze or scoop blue yogurt into a clear cup.

Step 2: Take 2 graham crackers and place them into a ziploc bag. Have the child squeeze, scrunch, and smash the graham crackers into “sand like” pieces.

Step 3: Pour the graham crackers on top of the yogurt.

Step 4: Ask your child to identify characteristics of food item, using their other senses. Provide them with the language to build that connection with the food in their brain.

Is it crunchy?
Is it smooth?
What does it smell like?

Step 5: Top off with an umbrella.

Tip: Cut off the pointed bottom part of the toothpick or assist as needed. Don’t forget the spoon!

Button The Shapes

For this activity, you will first need to create the button container using plastic containers with lids. Use the scissors to pierce a hole in the lid.

Take one button and insert a 3-inch pipe cleaner through 2 of the button holes.

Insert each edge of the pipe cleaner through the lid hole that you pierced and twist the 2 edges together on the bottom of the lid. This will hold the button in place on the lid.

Close the container with the lid so the button is at the top of the container.

Using a marker, mark a shape on the container.

Cut out pieces of felt in the same shapes that you marked the containers with. You can also use fabric for this.

Using the scissors, cut holes in the middle of each shape.

Provide the child with the button containers and the felt shapes. Ask the child to sort the felt pieces and button them on the right container marked with the matching shape.

For grading, you can use different sized buttons or you can also use one container with no marked shape and have the child follow a pattern from a visual model (i.e. button a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle in a repeated order).

Jump and Kick

Place steppingstones along a path.

Place cardboard blocks to the left and to the right side of each steppingstone.

Ask the child to stand on the first steppingstone and use the right leg to kick the cardboard block on the right side and the left leg to kick the cardboard block on the left side.

Next, instruct the child to jump to the next steppingstone and repeat the previous step.

The child will continue jumping to the ext steppingstones ad knocking down the cardboard block until the end of the path.

Don’t have steppingstones? Use pillows instead (this also increases the challenge for your child’s balance).

Don’t have cardboard blocks? Use water bottles instead (empty for an easier challenge, and filled with water or rice/beans/sand for more challenge and increase the proprioceptive input) or use empty shoe boxes, paper rolls, paper cups, or plastic containers.

Grading option:

The challenge can be graded by placing the blocks further away (see the 2nd video below)
Ask the child to frog jump from one steppingstone to the other, then stand back up, and kick the block.