Distal Finger Control - Page 3 of 31

The Wobbly Tightrope Balance

Steps:

Use scissors to cut a long cardboard strip, about ten inches long.
Use your markers and ruler to draw a straight line down the middle.
Color the left side blue and the right side orange.
Squeeze two clothespins and clip them to the bottom to make legs.
Stand the cardboard strip upright on a flat table.
Hand your child a basket of colorful clothespins.
Ask them to hold the wobbly cardboard steady with their helper hand.
Use their pinching fingers to clip clothespins onto the top edge.
Challenge them to match the color of the pins to the cardboard side.
Gently place a pom-pom into each clipped pin to finish!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child closely during play. Clothespins can pinch little fingers, and pom-poms are a choking hazard.

Paper Towel Tapestry Bleed

Steps:

Lay a sheet of paper towel flat on a table.
Have your child use bright markers to draw dots and simple patterns across the paper towel.
Mix a few drops of food coloring with water inside your plastic container.
Teach your child to pinch the eyedropper with their thumb and pointer finger to draw up the colored water.
Challenge them to carefully drop a single droplet of colored water directly onto each drawn marker dot.
Watch as the water expands, blending the ink colors together into a beautiful tapestry pattern!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during water and food coloring play to prevent spills or accidental ingestion.

The Straw Rocket Blast

Steps:

Use your scissors to cut a small rectangle of paper, about three inches wide.
Wrap the paper tightly around a pencil to form a neat tube.
Use a small piece of masking tape to secure the paper tube so it does not unroll.
Pinch one open end of the paper tube and fold it down tightly.
Use another piece of tape to seal this folded end completely to make the rocket nose.
Slide the open end of your paper rocket over the end of a straw.
Take a deep breath and blow hard through the straw to launch your rocket!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely while they use scissors. Ensure they do not run while holding the straws or pencils.

Yarn Ring Orbit Slider

Steps:

Use markers to draw a bright yellow sun in the very center of your paper plate.
Use the hole puncher to click four holes around the outer rim of the plate.
Use scissors to cut two pieces of yarn, each about twelve inches long.
Have your child slide three colorful beads onto each piece of yarn.
Push the ends of the yarn through the opposite holes to create two crossing tracks.
Secure the yarn ends firmly to the back of the paper plate using masking tape.
Ask your child to hold the plate steady on the table with their helper hand.
Use the pinching fingers of their other hand to slide the beads along the tracks from orbit to orbit!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely when they are handling scissors, small beads, or yarn. Store all small pieces safely out of reach after play to prevent any choking hazards.

The Finger Puppet Road Trip

Steps:

Use scissors to cut a small strip of construction paper, about two inches long.
Wrap the paper strip around your child’s index finger to make a cozy ring puppet.
Use your markers to draw a silly smiley face on the paper puppet ring.
Take a large piece of cardboard and draw a winding, curvy road across it.
Place several colorful stickers at different points along the curvy cardboard road.
Have your child hold the cardboard flat with their helper hand to keep it steady.
Slide the paper puppet onto your child’s index finger of their dominant hand.
Ask them to tuck their other three fingers and thumb tightly into their palm.
Challenge them to walk their puppet along the road, stopping to press each sticker!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely while they are using scissors to cut the paper strip. Ensure the cardboard has smooth edges to prevent any minor scrapes.