Distal Finger Control - Page 8 of 30

The Button Balance Scale

Steps:

Lay a pencil flat on a table. Use a small piece of masking tape to stop it from rolling.
Place the middle of the ruler on top of the pencil. It should tilt back and forth like a seesaw.
Use your thumb and pointer finger to pick up a single button from your collection.
Place the button gently on one end of the ruler.
Now, try to place a second button on the other side to balance the weight.
When the ruler stays level without touching the table, your child has mastered the challenge of finding the center of gravity.
Keep adding buttons to see how many the scale can hold before it tips.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required. Buttons are a choking hazard. Keep them away from small children and pets at all times.

Bottle Cap Finger Skaters

Steps:

Lay a large piece of cardboard flat on a table.
Use masking tape to create a winding skating rink path across the board.
Draw small start and finish flags at the ends of the tape path using markers.
Take two plastic bottle caps from empty water bottles.
Ask your child to place their index and middle finger inside the two caps.
Challenge them to skate their fingers along the tape path.
They must stay on the tape and keep the caps flat while moving.

Safety Tip:
Ensure the bottle caps are clean and have no sharp plastic edges before playing.

Fan-Fold Color Towers

Steps:

Use markers to draw bright patterns on three index cards.
Show your child how to fold the card back and forth to create a fan or accordion shape.
Press each fold firmly with your thumb and index finger to make the creases very sharp.
Squeeze a few dots of glue onto a sturdy cardboard base.
Stand the folded card upright on the glue to create a wavy tower.
Pick up a pom-pom using your pinching fingers and glue it onto the peaks of the paper fans.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required when using glue to ensure it stays on the craft and away from faces.

Beaded Joint Dancer

Steps:

Draw a person or animal on construction paper with markers.
Cut out the head, body, and limbs as separate pieces.
Use a hole puncher to make a hole at each limb joint.
Punch matching holes on the shoulders and hips of the body.
Thread a piece of yarn through the holes to join pieces.
Tie the yarn loosely so the dancer can move its limbs.
Slide beads onto the yarn ends to add color and weight.
Use masking tape to hang your dancer on a door.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they use a hole puncher to prevent finger pinches. Keep small beads away from younger siblings to avoid choking.

Foil Gem Treasure Rescue

Steps:

Help your child cut small squares of aluminum foil using safety scissors.
Wrap one bead inside each piece of foil to make a treasure gem.
Squeeze the foil tightly so the bead is hidden.
Place each foil gem into a separate slot in the ice cube tray.
Give your child the tweezers to hold with their dominant hand.
Ask them to move the gems into the aluminum foil pan.
Once moved, use both hands to unwrap the foil and find the beads.

Safety Tip:
Beads and small foil pieces are choking hazards. Always supervise your child closely during this activity. Ensure all beads are collected after play.