Intrinsic Muscle Development - Page 13 of 22

Tight Cardboard Ties

Steps:

Ask an adult to cut 6 to 8 small, sturdy shapes from the cardboard (squares and rectangles work best).
Encourage your child to use markers to decorate and color each cardboard piece.
Help your child break the pipe cleaners into shorter, 4-inch strips. This breaking provides good heavy work input.
Take two cardboard pieces. Hold them together firmly with one hand so the edges overlap.
Use your working hand to wrap one pipe cleaner strip tightly around the overlapping edges, twisting the ends together until the connection is secure.
Continue connecting pieces. Build a 3D structure like a cube, a robot, or a tall, zig-zagging tower.

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners can have sharp ends after being cut or broken. Constant, direct adult supervision is required. Ensure children do not place these small materials near their mouths, eyes, or ears.

Sticky Ribbon Rescue

Steps:

Adult Prep: Tightly wrap a piece of Yarn or Ribbon around a Craft Stick. Secure the ends of the yarn with small, strong strips of Masking Tape.
Place the finished stick and the empty Container on a stable table.
Challenge your child to hold the stick firmly with their helper hand to keep it still.
Encourage your child to use their working hand to pinch an edge of the tape. Pull the tape strip off slowly against the resistance.
Once the tape is peeled, they can unwrap the yarn and drop the ‘rescued’ ribbon into the Container. Repeat with other prepared sticks!

Safety Tip:
Ribbon, yarn, and small pieces of masking tape are choking hazards for children under three. Constant, direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity. Ensure the child remains seated and materials are not placed near the mouth.

Tight Coil Stick Art

Steps:

Place one Craft Stick flat on the table. Use your helper hand to hold it steady and still.
Take a Pipe Cleaner. Use your dominant hand to twist it tightly around the stick. Coil the pipe cleaner snugly from end to end.
Continue wrapping new pipe cleaners until the entire Craft Stick is covered in a dense, fuzzy layer. Press the coils close together.
Choose one small sticker from the Plastic Container. Peel the sticker using only your thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
Carefully press the sticker firmly onto the fuzzy, coiled surface of the stick. This requires precise aim and controlled force.
Cover the coiled stick with colorful stickers until you complete your masterpiece. Count how many stickers you placed.

Safety Tip:
Pipe cleaners and small stickers pose a choking hazard. Constant, direct adult supervision is required for children under 5 throughout this activity.

Ribbon Slot Stuffing

Steps:

Adult Prep: Use the Scissors to cut three tight, narrow slots (about 1.5 inches long) into the Cardboard or the lid of the Container. Secure the Cardboard/lid tightly using Masking Tape.
Give the child long strips of Ribbon. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the Ribbon into small, stamp-sized pieces. Tearing wakes up the hand muscles!
Ask your child to hold the container steady with their helper hand (proximal stability) while it sits on the table.
Pick up one torn Ribbon piece. Crumple it tightly into a small ball using only their fingertips (working on pincer grasp and in-hand manipulation).
Aim the crumpled ribbon ball at a slot. Use a controlled, firm push with the index finger or thumb to send the ribbon piece completely inside the container. Repeat until the container is full!

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

Paper Crease Tunnels

Steps:

Adult Step: Use scissors to cut 8-10 narrow slits across the top surface of the egg carton. The slits should be tight, offering resistance.
Draw several long, 1-inch wide strips onto the construction paper using a marker. Encourage your child to use their helper hand to cut carefully along the lines.
Take one paper strip. Fold it in half lengthwise and press the crease very firmly. This makes a tight V-shape or ‘tunnel.’
Hold the egg carton steady with the non-dominant hand. Use the dominant hand to aim the folded paper tunnel at a narrow slot.
Challenge your child to push the stiff paper all the way through the slot. Continue until the entire egg carton is full of paper tunnels!

Safety Tip:
Maintain constant adult supervision, especially during the preparation phase involving scissors. Although the paper pieces are large, ensure small torn scraps are collected immediately and kept away from the mouth.