Straw Necklaces
Cut the plastic straws into about 1-inch pieces.
Lace the small straw pieces into the string or yarn to create a straw necklace.
You can use different color plastic straws and create matching patterns for the straw necklaces.
Skill: Cutting
Learning to hold scissors correctly and guide them along a line while holding the paper steady with the other hand. This combines hand strength with coordination.
Paper Plate Web
In this activity, pipe cleaners are optional.
Help the child to cut out a large circle from the center of the paper plate, leaving about 1-inch from the edge, and creating an outer ring.
Ask the child to punch holes all around the outer ring.
Give the child a long piece of yarn and instruct him to string the yarn through the holes he punched. Have the child string the yarn from one hole to the next going back and forth to form a web.
On the construction paper (preferably black or gray), draw a medium size oval for the spider’s body and a smaller size circle for the spider’s head. Let the child cut out the shapes you drew to make a spider. You can also ask the child to draw a spider and cut it out.
If you are using pipe cleaners, have the child punch 3 holes on each side of the oval (the spider’s body) and place a small piece of pipe cleaner in each hole (to form the spider’s legs).
Have the child glue the spider on the web or attach the spider to the web by banding the pipe cleaners onto the yarn.
Paper Bag Fish
Have the child crumple the newspapers into small paper balls.
Stuff the paper bag with the crumpled newspapers.
Use the yarn or a ribbon to tie a knot close to the edge of the open end to close the paper bag.
Ask the child to paint the filled paper bag using either a brush or cotton balls.
Glue large googly eyes.
For grading, you can ask the child to draw eyes on construction paper and cut/glue it onto the paper bag.
Lay a piece of yarn on the fish (below the eyes) to make a mouth. Use some glue to hold it in place.
To promote tactile perception, you can let the child finger paint the paper bag instead of using other media.
Hats for All
Draw a line from the outside edge of the paper plate into the center.
On the construction paper, draw different shapes (note: some ideas for shapes your child can cut are red, blue, and white stripes, stars, or circles for 4th of July, hearts for Valentine’s day, or flowers for springtime).
Provide the child with a pair of scissors and ask him to first cut along the line you drew on the plate and then cut the different shapes you traced on the paper.
Overlap the edges of the paper plate to create a hat shape and staple them together.
Have the child glue the different cut out shapes on the hat.
Finally, help your child poke two holes on each side of the plate and put the lace through each hole.
Talking Scissors
Put a pair of scissors on your hand and have the child put a pair on his hand.
Open and close your scissors in a certain pattern and ask the child to imitate/repeat what your scissors “said” using his scissors.