Distal Finger Control - Page 8 of 26

Foam Spike Pom-Pom Insert

Steps:

Secure the foam sheet firmly onto a piece of construction paper using masking tape. This stabilizes the work surface.
Use a marker to draw 10 to 15 short, straight lines (these are your ‘spike’ targets) randomly across the foam sheet’s surface.
Challenge your child to hold the foam steady with their helper hand. Use child-safe scissors to snip along each drawn marker line. Squeezing through the resistant foam requires strong effort!
Pick up one pom-pom using a precise pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).
Carefully aim the soft pom-pom at one of the newly snipped slits. Use controlled force to push the pom-pom halfway into the slit, turning the foam into a colorful, spiky cushion.
Repeat this inserting action until the entire foam surface is covered in pom-pom ‘spikes’.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required when using scissors. Ensure that the child uses the scissors only for cutting the foam. Small pom-poms are used in this activity and pose a potential choking hazard for young children. Collect all small materials immediately after play.

Tight Coil Tunnel Twist

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut an index card in half. Cover one half completely with aluminum foil, crimping the edges tightly underneath. Secure this foiled card flat onto a sturdy piece of cardboard using masking tape.
Use a marker tip or pen to poke 5-6 small starter holes into the foil surface. These holes should be slightly smaller than the pipe cleaners.
Encourage your child to twist the pipe cleaners tightly around their finger or a pencil to create small, dense, stiff coils. This builds hand strength!
Ask your child to hold the stable cardboard base firmly steady with their helper hand (proximal stability).
Pick up one finished coil with a strong pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger). Aim the coil at a starter hole.
Use a strong, continuous twisting motion (like screwing in a lightbulb) to turn the coil. Screw the stiff coil into and through the resistant foil and cardboard base until it is fully embedded. Repeat until all holes are filled.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and, especially when cut or tightly coiled, pose a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Collect all pieces immediately after play.

Shredded Paper Glue Dot

Steps:

Use a marker to draw 8-10 tiny target dots onto the sturdy cardboard base. Keep the dots small for a precision challenge.
Take one index card. Use both hands together to rip the card into tiny, jagged pieces. Encourage strong, controlled pulls for heavy work input. Drop the scraps into the container.
Pick up the glue bottle. Carefully squeeze a small, controlled dot of glue directly onto each marker target dot.
Now, use the tweezers. Pinch one tiny paper scrap using a strong pincer grasp.
Hold the cardboard steady with your helper hand. Aim the scrap at a wet glue dot and carefully press it down to secure it. Repeat until all dots are filled!

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Small paper scraps and tweezers are used in this activity. These materials pose a choking hazard for young children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.

Foil Cap Tweezer Feed

Steps:

Tear the aluminum foil into small, manageable strips using both hands.
Use your fingertips to tightly crumple each strip into a dense ‘rock.’ Place these rocks in the container.
Hold the bottle firmly steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to twist the cap off completely.
Pick up the tweezers. Use a precise pincer grasp to grab one tiny foil rock.
Carefully carry and drop the foil rock into the narrow bottle opening.
Twist the cap firmly back onto the bottle. Repeat the whole sequence until the bottle is full.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Ensure children compress the foil tightly to avoid sharp edges. Collect all small foil pieces and tweezers immediately after play, as they pose a potential choking hazard.

Tape-Wrapped Block Unwind

Steps:

Adult Prep: Tightly wrap 3 to 4 blocks completely in masking tape. Cover all surfaces of the block.
Place the wrapped blocks in the plastic container. Tell your child they are ‘tape monsters’ that need rescuing.
Challenge your child to hold the block firmly steady with their helper hand to stabilize it.
Use the thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp) to find an edge of the tape strip.
Encourage a strong, controlled pull to peel the sticky tape off the block against the resistance.
Continue pulling and peeling all the tape until the block is fully unwrapped and rescued! Repeat the challenge.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Ensure children do not put tape or small pieces of material in their mouths. Discard small, crumpled tape pieces immediately after peeling.