Intrinsic Muscle Development - Page 16 of 22

Putty Treasure Dig

Steps:

Prepare the ‘treasure’ by breaking 8-10 pipe cleaners into halves. Hide them deeply inside a large ball of playdough (this is the ‘monster mash’). Place the playdough in a plastic container or on a safe mat.
Challenge your child to become a ‘Treasure Hunter.’ Use two hands to squeeze, stretch, pull, and mash the playdough to uncover all the buried pipe cleaner pieces.
Encourage them to use different hand movements: squeezing the dough with their whole hand, pushing down with their thumbs, and stretching it apart using both hands together.
Once all the pieces are found, help them reshape the dough back into a ball. They can hide the treasure again or count how many ‘gems’ they found!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Ensure that the child understands that the playdough and pipe cleaners are not food items. Wash hands thoroughly when finished.

Tissue Tear Treasures

Steps:

Help your child draw a large, simple shape (like a star, a big letter, or a cloud) onto the construction paper. This will be the canvas for the ‘treasure’ art.
Present the tissue paper. Encourage your child to use both hands to tear the tissue paper into small strips or pieces. Focus on using the thumb and index finger to initiate the tear.
Show the child how to crumple those small pieces into tiny, tight balls (treasures!). This step heavily promotes strong intrinsic muscles and a precise pincer grasp.
Apply glue along the lines of the drawn shape. Encourage the child to pick up the crumpled tissue balls and press them onto the glue, filling in the shape until the ‘treasure’ collage is complete.

Safety Tip:
Supervise closely during this activity. Ensure the child uses glue appropriately (dot, not a large glob). Because this activity involves very small pieces of paper, teach the child to keep them on the table, not near the mouth.

Tee Punch Garden

Steps:

Set up the ‘garden’ by placing one thick foam sheet on a stable table or floor. If your foam is thin, layer two sheets for more resistance.
Introduce the golf tees as ‘planting tools.’ Show your child how to hold the tee using their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grip), similar to how they will hold a pencil.
Encourage your child to use their non-dominant (helper) hand to press down on and stabilize the foam sheet while their dominant hand pushes the tee straight down, punching a hole.
Continue punching holes until the foam sheet is full! This provides excellent resistance that strengthens the small muscles in the hand.
Finish the activity by using the pipe cleaners as ‘stems.’ Thread them into the punched holes to create a colorful, textured garden.
If desired, gently pull the tees out and repeat the whole process again to get extra strengthening practice.

Safety Tip:
Golf tees have a pointed end. Always supervise closely to ensure the child is pushing the tee into the foam and not near their face or body. Store the tees safely when not in use.

Stick Weave Loom

Steps:

Adult Prep: Use the hole puncher to make 10 to 12 holes evenly around the edge of the paper plate.
Help your child push a craft stick straight through each punched hole. The sticks should stand up firmly like fence posts.
Show your child how to stabilize the paper plate with their helper hand to keep it steady on the table.
Take one pipe cleaner and curl the end slightly to create a dull ‘needle’ point for safe threading.
Challenge your child to weave the pipe cleaner through the sticks following an ‘over, under, over, under’ pattern.
Continue weaving the pipe cleaner until the entire stick fence is connected by the colorful web. Try different colored pipe cleaners for the next round.

Safety Tip:
Close adult supervision is required. Ensure that the ends of the pipe cleaners are curled to prevent scratches. Small pieces of cut pipe cleaner pose a potential choking hazard.

Foil Ball Toss

Steps:

Set up the target: Place the Aluminium Foil Pan (or a sturdy Container) on the floor a few feet away. Use Masking Tape to mark a “Foil Launcher Line” where the child must stand.
Give the child a sheet of Aluminium Foil. Encourage them to use both hands to tear off a medium-sized piece. Tearing this resistant material is a great workout!
Challenge the child to crumple the foil piece into the tightest, smallest ball they can using only their fingertips, focusing on squeezing hard to create a dense ‘golf ball’.
Have the child stand behind the line and toss their heavy foil ball into the target pan. Practice aiming and grading the force of the throw. Count how many they make!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Ensure the child fully crumples the foil pieces before tossing to avoid sharp edges. Collect all small foil balls after play to prevent choking hazards or ingestion by pets.