Material: Tongs

Catch-a-Bug

This catch-a-bug activity provides the child with a fun chance to address fine motor skills.

Preparation:
Step 1: Lace yarn through a basket.
Step 2: Place toy bugs (i.e. figurines, erasers, etc.) on yarn.
Step 3: Have the child manipulate the tongs to retrieve the bugs.

 

For this activity, you can use any type of basket/container.

Treasure Hunt Sensory Bin

This sensory bin activity provides the child with a fun chance to build trust with messy textures through play.

Preparation:

Step 1: Pour sensory bin fillers (cornmeal was used in this photo but you can also use sand, beans, and rice).

Step 2: Hide gems/coins in the sand.

Step 3: Provide tongs for your child to use to retrieve the treasure & place in a separate bowl/treasure box. For an increased challenge, have the child close their eyes and search for the treasure with their hands.

Cooking French Fries

Cooking with 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:

  1. Warm-up with hand strengthening activities, such as playing with PlayDoh or slime.
  2. 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.
  3. If needed, assist the child’s hand in stabilizing the paper.
  4. Explore adaptive scissors, as needed.

Pickup Relay Games

Place two buckets in opposite sides of the room.

Fill one bucket with objects (Lego pieces, beads, plastic eggs, marbles, or anything that the child can pick up using tongs).

Have the child use the tongs to pick up an object from one bucket, run across the room, and drop it in the other bucket.

Grading Option

Place the objects in container or bucket full of sand or water.

Create an obstacle course for the child to go through.

Cotton Balls Music

Musical Clothespin

Have the children sit in a circle.

Give each child a clothespin and a cotton ball.

Instruct the children to pick up and drop the cotton ball on the lap of the child sitting to their right when the music starts.

When the music stops, each child should pick up his cotton ball using the clothespin and raise their hand.

You can make it into a game by giving an additional cotton ball to a child who raised their hand but did not have a cotton ball caught on his clothespin.

The child with the least number of cotton balls at the end of the game wins.

Game Variations:

  • Instead of using a clothespin, you might want to use tongs or tweezers.
  • If you are playing with 1 child, you may want to just use one cotton ball and see who has it when the music stops.
  • After a few times passing the cotton balls to the right, switch and have the passing go left.