Intrinsic Muscle Development

The Under-Table Tissue Galaxy

Steps:

Tape a large piece of cardboard to the bottom of a stable surface at home.
Place loops of masking tape across the cardboard with the sticky side facing the floor.
Give your child several colorful squares of tissue paper to hold.
Ask them to lie down on their back under the cardboard.
Show them how to use their fingertips to crumple a paper square into a tight ball.
Challenge them to reach up and press the ball onto the sticky tape.
Keep adding more colors until the whole overhead board is a bright galaxy!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are lying under furniture. Ensure the cardboard is taped securely so it does not fall. Keep all small paper balls away from the mouth to prevent choking.

Bottle Labyrinth Ball Squeeze

Boy squeezing a plastic bottle with a taped straw to blow a ping pong ball through a cardboard straw maze at a kitchen table

Steps:

Cut a large flat rectangle from your cardboard to act as the base for your labyrinth.
Use markers to draw a start and finish line on opposite ends of the cardboard.
Cut your straws into various lengths and tape them down to the cardboard to create winding maze walls.
Make sure the paths are just wide enough for the ping pong ball to roll through.
Take an empty, flexible plastic bottle and tape a single straw into the opening, sealing the rest of the cap with masking tape so air only comes out of the straw tip.
Place the ping pong ball at the start line of your maze.
Ask your child to hold the cardboard steady with their non-dominant helper hand.
With their dominant hand, have them squeeze the bottle to release puffs of air through the straw, pushing the ball through the maze toward the finish line.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise children during play to ensure straws and small pieces of tape are used safely. Ensure the plastic bottle is clean and free of sharp edges before assembly.

The Taped Paper Roll Wind-Up

Girl wrapping blue yarn around a cardboard paper roll marked with marker dots

Steps:

Use your markers to draw a few small target dots along the paper roll.
Cut a long piece of yarn, about three feet in length.
Use a small piece of masking tape to stick one end of the yarn to the top of the paper roll.
Ask your child to hold the paper roll with their helper hand.
Have them use their other hand to slowly wrap the yarn around the roll.
Encourage them to cover each marker dot as they twist the roll.
Once the yarn is all wrapped, use another piece of tape to secure the end.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play to ensure the yarn is used safely. Keep long strings away from the neck area.

The Confetti Cupcake Decorator

Boy using tongs to drop punched paper dots into paper baking cups glued to cardboard

Steps:

Use markers to draw three big circles on your cardboard.
Glue a baking cup onto each circle to make the cupcake base.
Have your child use the hole puncher on colorful paper to make dots.
Squeeze some glue into the bottom of each baking cup.
Ask your child to pick up the paper dots using the tongs.
Challenge them to drop the sprinkles into the cups to decorate the treats.
Use their helper hand to keep the cardboard steady while they work.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play to ensure safety. Small paper dots can be a choking hazard for younger children.

The Ribbon Ring Squeeze

Steps:

Use markers to draw colorful stripes around your empty paper roll.
Cut several long strips of ribbon using your child-safe scissors.
Use masking tape to stick one end of a ribbon to the top of the roll.
Ask your child to hold the paper roll steady with their helper hand.
Have them use their other hand to wrap the ribbon tightly around the roll.
Once the ribbon is wrapped, use a pincer grasp to tape the end down.
Repeat this with different colors until the whole tube is fuzzy and bright!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are using scissors. Ensure the ribbon pieces are not long enough to wrap around the neck.