Bilateral Hand Use - Page 9 of 102

The Vertical Cloud Garden

Boy reaching up with tongs to drop a cotton ball into a paper cup taped to the wall

Steps:

Help your child pick four colorful paper cups for their wall garden.
Use your masking tape to stick the bottom of each cup to a wall.
Make sure the cups are at your child’s shoulder height to work those muscles.
Place a basket of soft cotton balls on the floor nearby.
Give your child the tongs and show them how to squeeze and pick up one ball.
Challenge them to reach up and drop the cotton ball into a cup!
Try using only their left hand for two cups and their right hand for the others.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play to ensure they do not put cotton balls in their mouth.

The Foil Ring Noodle Slide

Girl sliding a foil ring down a pool noodle toward a colored marker stripe in a backyard

Steps:

Tear off five squares of aluminium foil about the size of a piece of bread.
Show your child how to roll each foil square into a long, thin snake.
Bend the foil snake into a circle and twist the ends to make a ring.
Use markers to draw different colored stripes on your pool noodle to create targets.
Ask your child to hold the pool noodle with one hand.
Use the other hand to slide a foil ring onto the end of the noodle.
Challenge them to slide the ring all the way to a matching color stripe!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Aluminium foil can have thin edges and small pieces can be a choking hazard.

The Foil Cupcake Scoop

Steps:

Tear off several small squares of aluminium foil using both hands.
Show your child how to crumple each foil square into a round ball to make ‘ice cream scoops.’
Place a baking cup on the table and have your child use their helper hand to hold it steady.
Use the spoon to scoop a foil ball and carefully place it inside the baking cup.
Once the ‘cupcake’ is in the cup, pick up a small bead using a pincer grasp (thumb and index finger).
Gently set the bead on top of the foil ball to act as a sprinkle.
Continue adding more ‘sprinkles’ until the cupcake is fully decorated!
Challenge your child to dump the cup and start again with a different colored bead.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child closely during play. Small beads and crumpled foil can be a choking hazard, so ensure they do not put any materials in their mouth.

Felt Petal Patch Builder

Steps:

Have your child choose two or three colorful sheets of felt to make their garden flowers.
Show your child how to use child-safe scissors to cut the felt into small, three-inch squares.
Ask them to fold each felt square in half.
Snip the corners to create rounded petal shapes.
Encourage your child to squeeze the hole puncher to click a hole in the center of each felt piece.
Roll a large, heavy ball of playdough using both hands.
Press it flat onto a paper plate to make a steady base.
Pick up a pipe cleaner.
Slide the felt petals onto it one by one using pinching fingers.
Push the bottom end of the pipe cleaner deep into the playdough base to plant their finished flower!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child closely during scissor play. Collect any small felt scraps or playdough bits immediately to prevent choking.

The Rainbow Feather Carton Pull

Steps:

Flip the egg carton upside down on a flat table.
An adult should use a pencil to poke a small hole in the top of each egg cup.
Push the quill end of a colorful feather into each hole.
Show your toddler how to hold the carton steady with their helper hand.
Ask them to pinch a feather with their thumb and index finger.
Have them pull the feather straight up and out of the hole.
Celebrate each time a feather pops free and drop it in a pile!

Safety Tip:
CHOKING HAZARD: Feathers are small parts and can be a choking hazard for toddlers. Always supervise your child closely during this activity. Ensure they do not place feathers in their mouth.