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 Sticky Spiderweb Challenge

A preschool-aged boy practices eye-hand coordination by throwing a pom-pom at a homemade sticky web constructed from masking tape in a doorway

Steps:

  • Set up the spiderweb: Use masking tape to create a sticky ‘web’ across an open doorway or the entrance to a hallway. Make sure the sticky side faces outward into the room where the child will be throwing.”
  • “Place the basket of pom-poms about 3 to 5 feet away from the web (adjust distance based on your child’s skill). Encourage your child to throw the pom-poms and try to get them stuck on the web.”
  • “Once the pom-poms are stuck, transition the activity to retrieval. Have your child carefully use their fingers to peel the stuck items off the masking tape. They will likely need to use one hand to hold the tape still while the other hand pulls the pom-pom free!”
  • “Repeat the process until the basket is empty, then reload and start the challenge again!

Safety Tip:
Ensure the masking tape is placed at a safe height (not near face or neck level) and supervise closely, especially when children are standing or reaching near the doorframe.

Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off

A preschooler uses fine motor skills and a pincer grasp to pull a pom-pom off tacky masking tape on a vertical surface, demonstrating the Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off activity for improved shoulder stability and hand strength.

Steps:

  • Tape a piece of construction paper vertically to a door or wall using masking tape. This is your ‘puzzle board.’
  • Use small loops of masking tape to stick several pom-poms and stickers onto the construction paper. Make sure they are secure enough to stay put but loose enough to be pulled off with some effort.
  • Challenge your preschooler to ‘rescue’ the materials from the tacky tape! Encourage them to stand and use both hands—one hand to stabilize the paper and the other hand to pull the items off using a pincer grasp.
  • For an added challenge, hide small plastic animals or lightweight blocks under larger pieces of tape, requiring more effort and bilateral hand use to tear the tape away.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise vertical activities to ensure the child does not climb or lean heavily on the surface. Check that the masking tape used does not damage the wall or door finish upon removal.

Flying Unicorn

Step 1: Cut out a picture of a unicorn.

Step 2: Glue it on a paper plate.

Step 3: Hole punch around the edges of the plate.

Step 4: Lace string through each hole, and tie a knot to secure it in place.

Step 5: Option to curl the strings, add jewels, or color the unicorn for more fine motor opportunities.

Step 6: Watch the strands fly in the air as you spin & wave it around! Enjoy!

Puppy Tug Toys

Preparation:

Step 1: Lay out an old shirt flat on the table. Optional: Draw shapes on the shirt with non-toxic markers to address pre-writing skills.

Step 2: Take fabric scissors and begin to cut strips to your desired length. Maintain approximately 2-inches of width.

Step 3: Take one of those strips & use it to tie a group of 3 strips together. Make sure to leave approximately 2-inches from the end.

Step 4: Braid the 3 strips.

Step 5: Take another strip & use it to tie the braid together at the bottom.

Tips:

  1. Use scissors that match your child’s hand dominance.
  2. Hold the fabric in place as they cut.
  3. Use 3 various colors of fabric to make teaching them braiding skills easier.

As always, please provide assistance and supervision as needed.

Share your creation with your lovable dog & enjoy!

Buttoning Board

Buttoning is a fun fine motor skill to work on! It is more motivating when it involves our children’s favorite characters; in this case, Noodle & Pals from Super Simple Songs on YouTube!

Here, we created peek-a-boo buttoning boards that progressed from easy to more challenging buttoning skills.

Preparation:

Step 1: Cut up a piece of cardboard of your desired size (Our cardboard is the blue & white checkered print in the photo).

Step 2: Cut felt to your desired size. Ensure there will be enough overlap between the felt pages when you close the buttoning board.

Step 3: Glue the edge of the felt to the edges of the backside of the cardboard.

Step 4: Glue/sew the buttons on one side of one of the felt pages.

Step 5: Cut out slits to match the sizes of your buttons on the other felt page.

Step 6: Optional – take a marker & outline the edges of the button openings (the slits you just cut), so it makes it easier to visually identify the location of the buttonhole opening.

Step 7: Print, cut & glue on your child’s favorite character at the top of the cardboard sheet.

Tips and Grading Options:

Warm-Ups:

  1. Insert popsicle sticks through slits on a coffee cup lid.
  2. Insert coins into piggy banks.
  3. Pick out buttons from playdough.

To make it easier:

  1. Start with fewer buttons.
  2. Create larger buttoning hole openings.
  3. Highlight the buttoning hole openings by drawing around them (such as the black markings in the photo).
  4. Use larger buttons.
  5. Demonstrate how to button & use simple language.

To make it more challenging:

  1. Increase the number of buttons.
  2. Create smaller buttoning hole openings.
  3. Use smaller buttons.
  4. Use fabric with busy patterns.
  5. Use fabric with flimsier material.

As always, ensure safety in all activities. Provide assistance and supervision as needed.

Enjoy!