Bilateral Hand Use - Page 20 of 92

The Paper Cup Secret Sounds

Steps:

Line up six empty paper cups on a table.
Put a small handful of rice into two cups.
Fill two more cups with dry beans and the last two with oats.
Place an index card over the top of each cup and secure it tightly with masking tape.
Use markers to draw a small secret symbol on the bottom of each cup to mark the pairs.
Mix the cups up and ask your child to shake them one by one.
Challenge your child to find the two cups that make the exact same sound!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely when using rice or beans to prevent them from putting items in their mouth.

Vertical Yarn Rescue Mission

Steps:

Tape a large piece of cardboard vertically onto a wall at your child’s shoulder height.
Place a small stuffed animal against the cardboard.
Crisscross long pieces of yarn over the toy to trap it against the board.
Use several strips of masking tape to secure the yarn ends to the cardboard edges.
Ask your child to stand in front of the board with their feet planted firmly.
Challenge them to rescue the toy by peeling the tape and unweaving the yarn.
Encourage them to use one hand to hold the toy and the other to pull the yarn.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when using long pieces of yarn to prevent any risk of entanglement. Ensure the cardboard is taped securely so it does not fall.

The Gravity Bead Labyrinth

Steps:

Find a plastic basket with small holes along the sides.
Give your child several colorful pipe cleaners.
Show them how to thread one pipe cleaner through a hole on one side.
Pull it across the middle and out through a hole on the opposite side.
Continue adding pipe cleaners at different angles to create a crisscross mesh floor.
Drop three large beads onto the fuzzy mesh you just created.
Ask your child to hold the basket handles with both hands.
Challenge them to tilt the basket gently to roll the beads across the mesh.
Try to keep the beads on the floor without them falling through the gaps!

Safety Tip:
Ensure the pipe cleaner ends are tucked in to avoid any small pokes.

The Balancing Plate Bead Challenge

Steps:

Place the paper cup upside down on a flat table.
Use a small piece of masking tape to secure the cup to the table.
Carefully set the paper plate on top of the upside-down cup.
Give your child a small bowl of beads and a spoon.
Ask them to scoop one bead and place it on the plate.
Challenge them to add more beads without the plate falling off the cup!

Safety Tip:
Beads are a choking hazard. Always supervise your child. Keep all small materials away from younger siblings.

The Rainbow Hand Weaver

Steps:

Trace your child’s hand onto a sturdy piece of cardboard using a marker.
Use a hole puncher to make one hole at the tip of each finger and one at the wrist.
Tie a long piece of colorful yarn to the hole at the wrist.
Show your child how to thread the yarn through the thumb hole first.
Encourage them to weave the yarn back to the wrist and then up to the next finger.
Continue until every finger is connected to the wrist with a beautiful yarn bridge.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they are using a hole puncher or handling long pieces of yarn.