Fine Motor Control - Page 9 of 84

Newspaper Log Tongs Balance

Girl using tongs to balance a pom-pom on top of a rolled newspaper log taped on a table

Steps:

Help your child roll a single sheet of newspaper into a tight, long log.
Use masking tape to secure the ends and the middle of the log so it stays firm.
Repeat this to make three logs and lay them parallel on a flat table.
Hand your child a pair of tongs and a basket of colorful pom-poms.
Challenge them to pick up one pom-pom and carefully set it on top of a newspaper log.
Continue until each log is covered in a row of fuzzy pom-poms!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Pom-poms are a choking hazard. Keep them away from mouths.

The Vertical Cloud Garden

Boy reaching up with tongs to drop a cotton ball into a paper cup taped to the wall

Steps:

Help your child pick four colorful paper cups for their wall garden.
Use your masking tape to stick the bottom of each cup to a wall.
Make sure the cups are at your child’s shoulder height to work those muscles.
Place a basket of soft cotton balls on the floor nearby.
Give your child the tongs and show them how to squeeze and pick up one ball.
Challenge them to reach up and drop the cotton ball into a cup!
Try using only their left hand for two cups and their right hand for the others.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play to ensure they do not put cotton balls in their mouth.

The Foil Ring Noodle Slide

Girl sliding a foil ring down a pool noodle toward a colored marker stripe in a backyard

Steps:

Tear off five squares of aluminium foil about the size of a piece of bread.
Show your child how to roll each foil square into a long, thin snake.
Bend the foil snake into a circle and twist the ends to make a ring.
Use markers to draw different colored stripes on your pool noodle to create targets.
Ask your child to hold the pool noodle with one hand.
Use the other hand to slide a foil ring onto the end of the noodle.
Challenge them to slide the ring all the way to a matching color stripe!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play. Aluminium foil can have thin edges and small pieces can be a choking hazard.

The Foil Cupcake Scoop

Steps:

Tear off several small squares of aluminium foil using both hands.
Show your child how to crumple each foil square into a round ball to make ‘ice cream scoops.’
Place a baking cup on the table and have your child use their helper hand to hold it steady.
Use the spoon to scoop a foil ball and carefully place it inside the baking cup.
Once the ‘cupcake’ is in the cup, pick up a small bead using a pincer grasp (thumb and index finger).
Gently set the bead on top of the foil ball to act as a sprinkle.
Continue adding more ‘sprinkles’ until the cupcake is fully decorated!
Challenge your child to dump the cup and start again with a different colored bead.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child closely during play. Small beads and crumpled foil can be a choking hazard, so ensure they do not put any materials in their mouth.

The Masking Tape Finger Ladder

Steps:

Tape a large piece of cardboard vertically to a wall at your child’s eye level.
Use a marker to draw two long vertical lines on the cardboard to look like a ladder frame.
Cut ten short strips of masking tape using your scissors.
Stick the tape strips between the lines to create the ladder rungs.
Ask your child to ‘walk’ their index and middle fingers up the ladder like a tiny person.
Once they reach the top, have them use their pinching fingers to peel the top rung off.
Continue walking and peeling until every rung is in a pile on the floor!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely during play. Ensure they do not put masking tape in their mouth. Make sure the cardboard is secured firmly to the wall.