Skill: Eye-Hand Coordination

The way the eyes guide the hands to do a task. This helps your child catch a ball, write on a line, or stack blocks without knocking them over.

The Metal Button Spire

The Metal Button Spire

Steps:

  • Use your pencil to poke a hole in the center of a sturdy cardboard square.
  • Push a long bolt through the hole so the threads point straight up.
  • Place a button onto the bolt so it rests flat on the cardboard.
  • Pick up a nut and twist it onto the bolt using your fingertips.
  • Spin the nut all the way down until it touches the button.
  • Add another button and then twist on a second nut.
  • Continue stacking buttons and nuts to build a tall, colorful spire!
  • Use your non-dominant hand to hold the cardboard base steady.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Nuts and bolts are small parts that can be a choking hazard. Ensure all materials are used safely.

The Pipe Cleaner Bottle Hook

The Pipe Cleaner Bottle Hook

Steps:

  • Place an empty plastic bottle on a stable table.
  • Have your child use their pinching fingers to drop ten colorful beads into the bottle.
  • Give them a pipe cleaner and help them bend the tip into a small hook.
  • Ask your child to hold the bottle steady with their non-dominant helper hand.
  • Challenge them to lower the hook into the bottle and catch a bead.
  • Carefully pull the hooked bead all the way out through the narrow opening!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Small beads are a choking hazard and should be kept away from mouths.

The Silver Foil Path Trace

The Silver Foil Path Trace

Steps:

  • Glue a sheet of aluminium foil onto a piece of cardboard.
  • Use your hands to smooth the foil until it is very flat.
  • Use a bright marker to draw a curvy path across the foil.
  • Ask your child to pick up a pom-pom using their pinching fingers.
  • Challenge them to slide the pom-pom slowly along the drawn path.
  • Try drawing a zigzag or a circle to make it harder!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Small pom-poms can be a choking hazard. Ensure the edges of the foil are tucked safely behind the cardboard to prevent any sharp edges.

The Paper Plate Time Teller

The Paper Plate Time Teller

Steps:

  • Write the numbers 1 to 12 around the edge of the plate.
  • Cut two long, narrow arrows from your cardboard piece.
  • Make one arrow shorter than the other.
  • Use your scissors to poke a tiny hole in the center of the plate.
  • Poke a hole in the bottom of both cardboard arrows.
  • Slide a paper clip through the arrows and the plate hole.
  • Bend the paper clip ends to hold everything together.
  • Challenge your child to spin the hands to show a specific time!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they use scissors. Ensure the paper clip is handled carefully. Keep all small parts away from the mouth.

The Paper Roll Pincer Squeezer

The Paper Roll Pincer Squeezer

Steps:

  • Use your scissors to cut several empty paper rolls into small rings about one inch thick.
  • Let your child decorate each ring with colorful patterns using the markers.
  • Adult Step: Cut four narrow vertical slots into a flat piece of sturdy cardboard base.
  • Ask your child to use their thumb and pointer finger to squeeze one paper roll ring until it is flat.
  • Challenge them to slide the flattened ring into a slot on the cardboard base to make it stand up.
  • Continue squeezing and sliding more rings into each other to build a tall and wobbly sculpture!
  • Encourage your child to use their helper hand to hold the base steady while the other hand adds new pieces.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are using scissors. Make sure the cardboard edges are smooth to avoid any small scrapes during play.