Fine Motor Control - Page 56 of 84

Twist Cap Treasure Drop

Steps:

Place the buttons in a plastic container next to the empty bottles.
Challenge your child to hold one bottle tightly with their helper hand to stabilize it on the table.
Use the working hand to twist the cap off the bottle completely. Encourage smooth forearm rotation (twisting).
Pick up one button using only the thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
Carefully drop the button into the narrow opening of the bottle. This requires strong aim and distal finger control.
Once the button is inside, pick up the cap and twist it firmly back onto the bottle using the opposite rotation. Make sure it is tight!
Repeat this entire sequence of twist-off, drop-in, and twist-on until all the buttons are delivered into the bottle.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are small, hard objects. Constant and direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity, as they pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Cardboard Clip Sculpture

Steps:

First, draw several straight lines or large shapes onto the cardboard using a marker.
Challenge your child to use both hands to tear the cardboard along the drawn lines. Encourage strong pulling and pressing action for maximum heavy work input.
Place the paper clips into the plastic container next to the workspace.
Take two torn cardboard pieces. Hold them together firmly with your non-dominant (helper) hand to keep them steady.
Use your dominant hand to squeeze open a paper clip using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and index finger).
Clip the paper clip onto the edges of the two cardboard pieces to connect them securely. Continue adding pieces to build a chain or a free-standing sculpture.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure that the child handles torn cardboard edges carefully, as they can sometimes be sharp. Collect and store all small paper clips immediately after the activity.

Tight Stick Wedge Push

Steps:

Fold an index card tightly in half lengthwise. This creates a stiff, narrow V-shaped wedge.
Press a small lump of Theraputty or stiff playdough firmly down inside the V-wedge. The putty should be resistant.
Place the loaded index card wedge flat inside the plastic container to keep it stable on the table.
Ask your child to hold the container firmly steady with their non-dominant hand (the helper hand).
Pick up one craft stick. Challenge your child to aim and push the stick straight down into the resistant putty through the narrow V-opening.
Encourage strong, controlled pushes until the putty wedge is completely filled with sticks. Pull the sticks out for a reverse challenge.

Safety Tip:
Theraputty, playdough, and craft sticks are small objects. Constant and direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity to prevent choking hazards for children in this age group.

Bubble Pop Thread Maze

Steps:

Adult Prep: Secure a large sheet of bubble wrap tightly onto the cardboard using masking tape. Ensure the plastic bubbles face outward.
Give your child one golf ball tee. Encourage them to hold the tee using a strong pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).
Challenge your child to hold the cardboard steady with their helper hand. Push the tee straight through one bubble until it makes a satisfying pop, creating a tight hole.
Continue poking many holes all over the bubble wrap surface to create a challenging, textured ‘maze’ of openings.
Once many holes are poked, pick up a craft stick. Aim the stick at a hole and push it all the way through the resistant bubble wrap and cardboard.
Thread the craft sticks into the holes. Continue filling the maze with colorful sticks to create a rigid, unique sculpture.

Safety Tip:
Golf ball tees and craft sticks have pointed ends. Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Golf ball tees and craft sticks are small objects and pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Ripped Line Art

Steps:

Secure the cardboard vertically to a wall or door at your child’s chest height.
Use a marker to draw several long, curvy, or zigzag lines onto the cardboard surface.
Give your child a piece of construction paper. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the paper into small, jagged pieces. This takes strong finger effort!
Drop the torn pieces into the plastic container nearby.
Now, use the glue bottle to draw a thick, wavy line of glue directly next to one of the marker lines.
Challenge your child to pick up the torn paper pieces using a neat pincer grasp. Press each piece firmly onto the wet glue line, filling the entire path.
Repeat this process, covering all the drawn lines with colorful ripped paper pieces.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure that small pieces of torn paper are not put into the mouth, nose, or ears, as they pose a choking hazard for children under five. Ensure the vertical board is stable and secured well.