Material: Sequins

Winter Snowflakes

Have the child fold the paper in half vertically (independently or with assistance). Ask the child to draw any half-shape to be the base of the snowflake(i.e. half circle, half diamond, etc.). Instruct the child to draw more geometrical shapes along the edges of the paper, which can be cut out. Once the child is done drawing, let the child cut out all the shapes.

Let the child unfold the snowflake and decorate using crayons, markers, glitter, dot paint, stickers, etc.

To grade this activity you can:

1. Have lower/younger kids just cut out the big shape and then color in shapes that you draw for them (or you can draw and they can trace) if cutting the small shapes is too difficult

2. To make this activity easier you can also do half sheets of paper to make smaller snowflakes, less to color/cut/fold.

3. Have older/higher kids try to cut out shapes without drawing them first if they can. They can also fold the snowflake in half a second time (so it is in quarters) and do more cutouts on the snowflake.

Hearts and Oval Butterfly

On the construction paper, have the child draw, copy, or trace, 2 hearts and an oval (depends on child developmental abilities).

Using child scissors, ask the child to cut out the shapes, and glue them so the oval is in the middle, between the two hearts (see image).

Allow the child to color and decorate the butterfly using crayons, markers, stickers, glitter, etc.

To make the antennas, let the child pick a pipe cleaner and help him to cut it into three pieces. Demonstrate twisting the pipe cleaners around your pencil or finger. Ask the child to do it independently, or offer assistance. Tape the antennas on the back side.

When the butterfly is done it can be glued to a craft stick and the child can “fly” their butterfly around.

If you wish, a writing component can be added and attached to the butterfly instead of gluing it to a craft stick.

Birthday Cake

1. Prep the Cake Dough Start by having your child “knead” the dough. Encourage them to use both hands to squash, roll, and flatten the play-dough into a thick cake shape. If you have a rolling pin, this is a great time to use it. Pressing down firmly provides calming sensory input to the joints and helps build the hand strength needed for tasks like opening containers or using scissors.

2. Decorate the Cake Once the cake is “baked” (flattened and shaped), it is time to decorate.

  • The Candles: Have your child push the cut straws into the dough. This requires a nice “pincer grasp” (using the thumb and index finger) and a bit of focus to get them standing upright.

  • The Sprinkles: Use the rice or sequins to decorate. Picking up these tiny items is excellent for developing precision and coordination.

3. The Birthday Celebration Take a moment to sing a favorite song and let your child “blow out” the candles. This adds a sweet social element to the activity and makes the hard work feel like a game.

4. The Straw Cleanup Challenge After the celebration, have your child pull the straws out. You will notice that some play-dough often gets stuck inside the straw. Give your child an unbent paper clip or a pipe cleaner and show them how to poke the “cake” out from the other end. This is a very focused fine motor task that requires steady hands and patience.

5. Cut and Serve If your child is working on using a knife and fork, use this time to practice. Have them hold the “cake” still with one hand (or a fork) while they use a plastic knife to cut slices. They can then practice the social steps of placing a slice on a plate and “serving” it to you or a favorite stuffed animal.

Why This Helps

This activity covers a lot of ground in one sitting. The initial rolling and squishing provide heavy work that can be very grounding for children. The decorating and straw-cleaning phases focus on fine motor control, while the cutting and serving portion builds independence with utensils and encourages imaginative social play.

Fall Foot Tree

Have the child trace their foot on brown construction paper to make the trunk of the tree. Then have the child trace their hand in different fall leaf colors. Have them glue on the pieces they cut onto a larger piece of construction paper. Provide assistance as needed. For older children, working on handwriting, place lined paper on the bottom of the tree, and have them write a story about the tree or about fall. Both older and younger children enjoy decorating the tree and its surroundings with tissue paper (crumbled), sequins, pom-poms, etc.

You can relate this activity to a specific holiday or the different seasons.

Multi Step Shamrock

Print and cut the provided picture below of a shamrock (about 7 inch in size). You will use this as your stencil.

Provide the child with a green or white page of construction paper.

Ask the child to trace the shamrock on his paper using the stencil you made.

Instruct the child to cut out the shamrock.

Allow the child to spread some glue over the shamrock he cut. You may use a paint brush or a craft stick if the child avoids sticky materials.

Place the different manipulatives in front of the child inside a shallow container or a paper plate.

Instruct the child to glue the different objects on the shamrock transferring the objects from the container to his paper using the tweezers or the tongs.

The child may also use his fingers to reinforce pincer grasp and in-hand manipulation skills.

You may also have the child crumble pieces of tissue paper into small ball to work on dexterity and strengthening of the small muscles in your child’s hands.