In-hand Manipulation

Foil Rod Roller

Steps:

Tear off a 6-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Encourage your child to use both hands to tear the resistant material.
Use both hands together to strongly crumple and squeeze the foil into a very tight, dense sphere. Focus on making it as hard as a rock!
Choose a craft stick. Decorate the stick with markers if desired. Hold the stick firmly using a comfortable grasp.
Hold the resistant foil ball steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to aim and push the craft stick straight through the center of the foil sphere.
Apply strong, controlled pressure until the stick pushes all the way through to the other side of the foil ball. You have created a Foil Rod!
Repeat the process to create several Foil Rods. Challenge your child to connect them end-to-end to build a unique 3D sculpture or tower.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure children compress the foil tightly to avoid sharp edges. Collect all small materials immediately after play, as they pose a potential choking hazard.

Ribbon Resistance Unwind

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut several strips of ribbon (about 12 inches long). Secure one end of a ribbon strip firmly onto a craft stick using a small piece of masking tape.
Adult Prep: Tightly wrap the ribbon all the way down the stick until it is completely covered. Secure the loose end of the ribbon/stick assembly firmly inside the plastic container with more masking tape (this anchors the stick).
Have your child sit at a table and hold the plastic container steady with their helper hand to prevent it from sliding. This requires proximal stability.
Challenge the child to use their working hand to pinch the exposed end of the ribbon. Encourage them to use a strong, controlled pull and unwind motion to free the ribbon from the stick.
Once the ribbon is completely unwound, gently peel the starting tape off the stick and wrap a new ribbon tightly around the stick to play again.

Safety Tip:
Ribbon and small pieces of masking tape are small objects. Constant adult supervision is required to prevent choking hazards for children in this age group.

Stick Drop Loader

Steps:

Ask an adult to cut a small, sturdy rectangle from the cardboard. Use scissors to cut 4 to 6 very tight, narrow slits (about 1 inch long) across the cardboard surface.
Place the cardboard target vertically against a wall or laid flat on the table. Place the pom-poms and craft sticks nearby.
Challenge your child to pick up one pom-pom using only their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
Carefully hold the pom-pom and push one end of the craft stick into it until the pom-pom is firmly loaded onto the tip of the stick. This is tricky!
Hold the cardboard steady with the helper hand. Use the dominant hand to aim and push the loaded craft stick straight through the resistant slot.
The goal is to feel the push and send the loaded stick completely inside the target. Repeat until all the slots are full.

Safety Tip:
Craft sticks are small and pom-poms are choking hazards. Constant, direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity.

Web Lacing Rescue

Steps:

Adult Prep: Lay strips of masking tape sticky-side up across the cardboard edge, securing the ends underneath to make a sticky “loom.”
Leave about one inch of space between each sticky tape strip.
Cut a piece of yarn about 18 inches long. Tape one end of the yarn securely to the end of a craft stick to create your ‘needle.’
Hold the cardboard loom steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to weave the craft stick and yarn “needle” under the first tape strip.
Next, challenge yourself to weave the yarn *over* the second tape strip, then under the third, creating a woven pattern across the sticky web.
Continue weaving across the web. When finished, carefully peel the woven yarn and tape off the cardboard to reveal your colorful woven mat!

Safety Tip:
Ensure the craft stick has no sharp edges before taping the yarn on. Closely supervise the child to ensure they do not pull the masking tape off the surface and place it in their mouth.

Sticky Straw Scoop

Steps:

Prepare the ‘scoop’ by taking a straw and securing a small loop of masking tape (sticky side facing out) onto one end.
Place a pile of pom-poms on the table and the empty Container next to the Construction Paper target.
Show the child how to hold the straw using their thumb and index finger (a strong pincer grasp), just like holding a miniature pencil.
Challenge the child to carefully touch the sticky straw tip to a pom-pom, lifting it when it sticks firmly.
The child then transfers the sticky pom-pom over the container and uses their non-dominant hand or fingertips to peel it off the straw and drop it in.
Continue this process until all the pom-poms are successfully moved from the starting pile into the container.

Safety Tip:
Always provide close adult supervision during this activity. Ensure the child understands that the small pom-poms and tape are not to be put in the mouth.