Scissors - Page 14 of 28

Buttoning Board

Buttoning is a fun fine motor skill to work on! It is more motivating when it involves our children’s favorite characters; in this case, Noodle & Pals from Super Simple Songs on YouTube!

Here, we created peek-a-boo buttoning boards that progressed from easy to more challenging buttoning skills.

Preparation:

Step 1: Cut up a piece of cardboard of your desired size (Our cardboard is the blue & white checkered print in the photo).

Step 2: Cut felt to your desired size. Ensure there will be enough overlap between the felt pages when you close the buttoning board.

Step 3: Glue the edge of the felt to the edges of the backside of the cardboard.

Step 4: Glue/sew the buttons on one side of one of the felt pages.

Step 5: Cut out slits to match the sizes of your buttons on the other felt page.

Step 6: Optional – take a marker & outline the edges of the button openings (the slits you just cut), so it makes it easier to visually identify the location of the buttonhole opening.

Step 7: Print, cut & glue on your child’s favorite character at the top of the cardboard sheet.

Tips and Grading Options:

Warm-Ups:

Insert popsicle sticks through slits on a coffee cup lid.
Insert coins into piggy banks.
Pick out buttons from playdough.

To make it easier:

Start with fewer buttons.
Create larger buttoning hole openings.
Highlight the buttoning hole openings by drawing around them (such as the black markings in the photo).
Use larger buttons.
Demonstrate how to button & use simple language.

To make it more challenging:

Increase the number of buttons.
Create smaller buttoning hole openings.
Use smaller buttons.
Use fabric with busy patterns.
Use fabric with flimsier material.

As always, ensure safety in all activities. Provide assistance and supervision as needed.

Enjoy!

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).

“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.

Cooking French Fries

Step 1: Draw straight lines across yellow/orange/brown construction paper. Use markers that draw thicker, darker lines.

Step 2: Fold paper in half, so that the marked lines are visible.

Step 3: Cut along the folded part (down the middle of the page).

Step 4: Cut along the marked lines.

Step 5: Place “french fries” in a container.

Step 6: Add shredded paper for an added effect.

Step 7: Toss with tongs.

Step 8: Enjoy!

Tips:

Warm-up with hand strengthening activities, such as playing with PlayDoh or slime.
Using appropriate-sized scissors and snipping along thicker paper (such as construction paper or card stock) is a good place to start. Once they have reached that skill, we can progress to more challenging tasks, such as cutting along a 6-inch line.
If needed, assist the child’s hand in stabilizing the paper.
Explore adaptive scissors, as needed.

Build with Me

Step 1: Fold a construction paper in half and cut out shapes. This ensures that both you and your child have the exact same shapes to work with. To increase the challenge, cut out more shapes or cut out smaller shapes.
Step 2: Provide yourself with one set of shapes, and your child with the other set.
Step 3: Build a house with your set of shapes, then have your child replicate the exact structure with their set of shapes. To increase the challenge, have your child look away while you build your house.

Take note of the spacing between the shapes, the alignment of the shapes, and possible shape reversals and different orientations (i.e. Is the peak of your chimney closer to the left of the table, while your child’s is closer to the right of the table? Are there any shapes that are upside down? Does one house have a diamond and the other have a square for a door?). If there are any major differences, this is a great opportunity to identify them and work together to make corrections, while discussing why and how. Also, take note of how easy or challenging this was for them. Provide assistance, as needed.

Now, to get to building — enjoy!