Intrinsic Muscle Development - Page 19 of 24

Cardboard Punch Art

Steps:

Decorate a small cardboard square using the markers. Draw simple lines or fun shapes on your canvas.
Place the cardboard flat on a sturdy table. Hold it firmly with your helper hand for stability.
Take the hole puncher and aim it at the cardboard. Squeeze hard to punch holes all over the decorated piece.
Try using only your dominant hand to squeeze the puncher. The cardboard provides great resistance!
Gather the pipe cleaners from the container. Curl one end of a pipe cleaner into a loop to create a dull ‘needle.’
Thread the pipe cleaner through the punched holes. Create colorful patterns as you weave in and out.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Hole punchers can pinch fingers if hands are misplaced. The small cardboard punch-outs and pipe cleaner pieces are small objects. They pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Precision Bead Path

Steps:

Draw a simple winding path or grid onto the index card using a marker.
Make small, uniform dots along the drawn path to create targets.
Carefully place tiny dots of liquid glue onto each marker target dot.
Use a strong pincer grasp (thumb and index finger) to pick up one bead.
Stabilize the card with the helper hand. Precisely place the bead directly onto the wet glue dot.
Continue working to fill the entire dotted path until your design is complete.

Safety Tip:
Beads are very small and pose a serious choking hazard for children under five. Maintain constant, direct adult supervision throughout this activity. Ensure all materials are collected and stored safely after play.

Foil Smash Target

Steps:

Set up the target zone: Tape a large piece of Construction Paper vertically to a door or wall at your child’s chest height. Use Masking Tape to create a fun target shape (like a star or circle) on the paper, making sure the sticky side faces OUT toward the child.
Prep the ‘ammo’: Give the child a sheet of Aluminium Foil. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the foil into small, postage-stamp-sized pieces. Tearing foil requires great strength!
Crumple and compress: Challenge the child to take each foil piece and squeeze it into the tightest, densest little ball (a ‘foil marble’) they can make, using only their fingertips. Place the finished balls in a Plastic Container.
Get into position: Have your child lie on their tummy on the floor (prone position) directly facing the sticky target. Their shoulders and elbows should be supporting their weight.
Smash the target: Ask the child to pick up one foil marble at a time and use a firm, whole-hand push to stick it onto the exposed sticky tape. Try to cover the entire target zone with heavy foil balls!

Safety Tip:
Due to the potential choking risk associated with small, dense foil balls, constant adult supervision is required. Ensure the child maintains a safe, stable prone position and does not lift their hips too high.

Cap Twister Rings

Steps:

Prep: An adult should cut the pipe cleaners into small 4-inch strips. Place the container and the strips on the table.
Show the child how to firmly hold the body of the plastic container steady with one hand (the helper hand) to ensure it doesn’t move.
Demonstrate how to take a pipe cleaner strip and use the fingertips of the other hand to tightly twist and wrap it around the ridges of the container cap, creating a tight ring.
Challenge the child to continue wrapping the pipe cleaner strips until the entire cap is covered in colorful, tight rings.
For extra practice, encourage the child to use the opposite rotation (untwisting and unwinding) to remove all the pipe cleaner rings before starting the challenge again.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required. Since this activity involves pipe cleaners cut into small pieces, they can pose a potential choking hazard and should be immediately collected and stored safely after the activity.

Carousel Clip Spin

Steps:

Use markers to decorate the paper plate or cardboard circle (your carousel base).
Take 6 to 8 craft sticks. Use the clothespins to clip these sticks firmly around the edge of the plate. Make sure the sticks point straight out like spokes.
Place the plate on a stable surface. Use your helper hand to hold the plate steady.
Challenge your child to use their thumb and pointer finger to pinch and flick one of the craft sticks. The goal is to make the entire carousel spin slowly.
Try flicking different sticks to change the direction or speed of the spin. Focus on keeping the stabilizing hand still for a challenge.

Safety Tip:
Ensure the child maintains good posture. Encourage them to sit with their feet flat on the floor to promote core stability while working on this fine motor task.