Fine Motor Control - Page 2 of 86

The Fuzzy Path Finger Explorer

Steps:

Use your markers to draw a long, winding path across your piece of cardboard.
Help your child glue small pieces of fuzzy felt and soft cotton balls along the first half of the path.
On the second half of the path, glue down smooth buttons and shiny sequins to change the texture.
Once the glue is dry, ask your child to hold the cardboard steady with their helper hand.
Use the index and middle fingers of the other hand to walk like a tiny person along the fuzzy and smooth path.
Encourage them to stay inside the marker lines as they explore each new feeling.
Try again using the other hand to give both sides of the body a workout!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Small buttons and sequins are choking hazards. Keep all materials away from the mouth.

The Tilted Button Slider

Steps:

Use your markers to draw a winding path on a flat piece of cardboard.
An adult should use scissors to cut a narrow slot along the entire path.
Ensure the slot is wide enough for a button to slide but not fall through.
Place a single large button on the board at the starting line.
Ask your child to hold the cardboard steady with their non-dominant helper hand.
Have them use their dominant index finger to slide the button along the track.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play as buttons are a significant choking hazard.

The Vertical Pipe Cleaner Meadow

Steps:

Use markers to draw a bright green field of grass on your cardboard.
Use your scissors to snip five small, narrow slits across the top of the cardboard.
Use masking tape to secure the cardboard vertically to a wall at your child’s shoulder height.
Give your child several pipe cleaners to act as flower stems.
Ask them to hold the board with their helper hand while pushing a stem into a slit.
Use a pincer grasp to balance a colorful pom-pom on top of each fuzzy stem.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Pipe cleaners can have sharp metal ends, so tuck them in. Small pom-poms are a choking hazard.

The Floating Balloon Anchor

Steps:

Fill a large bucket halfway with water.
Blow up a balloon and tie it tightly.
Cut a piece of string about one foot long.
Tie one end of the string to the balloon knot.
Tie the other end to a single paper clip.
Place the balloon in the water so it floats.
Ask your child to link more paper clips onto the first one.
Watch as the chain grows longer and heavier.
Keep adding clips until the balloon starts to sink!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during water play. Paper clips and balloons are small parts. They can be a choking hazard. Pick up any popped balloon pieces right away.

The Ribbon-Linked Clip Path

Steps:

Use your markers to draw six colorful circles around the edge of a paper plate.
Assign a number from one to six inside each circle.
An adult should cut a long piece of ribbon about two feet long.
Ask your child to hold the paper plate steady with their helper hand.
Use the other hand to clip a clothespin onto circle number one.
Have your child thread the ribbon through the metal spring of the clothespin.
Move to circle number two and clip on the next clothespin.
Continue threading the ribbon through each clip in numerical order until the path is complete!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are using scissors or small ribbons. Ensure the ribbon is not wrapped around fingers or the neck.