Sequins - Page 2 of 4

Precision Glue Constellations

Steps:

Draw a constellation map on the construction paper. Use a marker to draw 8-10 dots (stars) and number them sequentially.
Glue the map to the cardboard base to keep it stable. Place the sequins in a small, shallow container.
Hold the glue bottle like a pencil. Starting at dot number one, squeeze the glue bottle with controlled force to draw a neat line to dot number two.
Continue connecting all the numbered dots with a thin line of glue, working on steady pressure to keep the line smooth.
Immediately sprinkle the sequins over the wet glue lines, covering the entire constellation path. Shake off the excess and admire your starry art!

Safety Tip:
Glue and sequins are non-toxic but require supervision. Ensure the child washes hands immediately after play and does not put sequins near the face or mouth.

Sequin Push Maze

Steps:

Use a marker to draw a winding path or simple maze onto the foam sheet.
Place the foam sheet flat on the table. Ask your child to hold the sheet steady with their helper hand.
Put a small pile of colorful sequins at the starting point of the maze.
Challenge your child to pick up one sequin using a strong pincer grasp.
Switch grip: Use only the tip of their pointer finger to gently push the sequin along the drawn line to the finish.
The child must use steady pressure and friction to keep the sequin moving without flying off the foam.

Safety Tip:
Sequins are very small objects. Close adult supervision is required throughout the activity as they pose a significant choking hazard for children under five.

The Battle of the Bottles

This activity should be done outdoors and is designed for more than one child.

For each child, fill 3 bottles one-half or two-thirds full with water. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil, a couple of drops of paint, and a handful of sequences. Mark a “START” point and place all the bottles at this point.

Mark an “END” line on the opposite side (you can use a rope, a blanket, or some chairs).

Ask the children to line up at the starting point and pick up a bottle.

On your mark, ask the children to walk as fast as they can, without dropping their bottle, to the endpoint.

Once they get to the end point, have them put their bottle down and walk back to get another bottle.

The first child that transfers all his/her bottles from the starting point to the end point, wins!

Paper Star Fish

Download and print the Star Fish template.

Ask the child to cut out the star fish image. For children that have difficulties with cutting skills, it is recommended to cut on heavier paper (i.e card-stock or construction paper), and provide with thicker lines/boundaries.

Using the tissue paper, instruct the child to tear pieces of the paper and crumble them into small balls. Encourage the child to move his thumb, pointer, and middle fingers in a circular motion.

Have the child glue the tissue paper balls on the star fish.

If you are using construction paper only, you can cut strips of paper, and let the child tear small pieces to glue on the star fish. If using beans, buttons, or sequins, you can promote pincer grasp by using tongs/tweezers to pick up the items to glue. Stickers can also be used.

Touch and Match

For the purpose of describing the activity, we chose beans and foam sheets. You can use any media you would like to fill up your container (i.e. corn kernels, cotton balls, macaroni, bird’s seeds, send, etc.)and any objects to hide (i.e.buttons, pom-poms, pegs, coins, etc.).

Use the foam sheets and cut pairs of different shapes (you can also use different color sheets and cut a pair of the same shape in each color). Fill up the container with the beans. Hide one shape from each pair inside the container and place the other shape in front of the child.

Have the child dig his hands through the beans and find the matching shapes, taking them out one shape at a time.