Motor Planning - Page 20 of 42

Floating Balloon Paddle Tap

Steps:

Blow up a balloon and tie yarn to the end.
Use masking tape to stick the yarn to a door.
Let the balloon hang low enough for your child to reach.
Give them a paper plate to hold like a paddle.
Ask them to tap the balloon with the plate.
See how many times they can hit it in a row.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise children with balloons. Broken balloon pieces are a serious choking hazard. Ensure the yarn is not long enough to wrap around the neck.

Mystery Yarn Foil Maze

Steps:

Draw a winding maze on a piece of sturdy Cardboard.
Trace the path with Glue and stick Yarn on top.
Once dry, place the Cardboard inside an Aluminium Foil Pan.
Turn the pan over so the Cardboard is underneath.
Ask your child to press the foil using their pointer finger.
Follow the raised yarn bumps to finish the maze!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child while they are using small materials like yarn and glue.

Foil Maze Marble Glide

Steps:

Lay out the aluminum foil pan on a flat table.
Take three pipe cleaners and bend them into curvy, wavy lines.
Use masking tape to secure the pipe cleaners inside the pan as walls.
Place a marble at one end of the winding path.
Use a pointer finger to gently push the marble through the maze.
Try to keep the marble inside the pipe cleaner borders the whole time.
When you finish, tilt the pan to roll the marble back to the start.

Safety Tip:
Marbles are a significant choking hazard. Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Ensure all marbles are collected and stored out of reach after the activity.

Putty Cord Threading Art

Steps:

Use markers to draw several small target dots randomly across the cardboard surface. Keep the cardboard stable with your helper hand.
Squeeze the hole puncher forcefully onto each marker dot. Punch 6 to 8 holes across the cardboard to create your weaving board.
Take a large lump of Theraputty. Use strong effort to roll the putty tightly into long, stiff, spaghetti-like cords.
Pick up one stiff putty cord. Hold the cardboard firmly steady with your non-dominant hand.
Challenge your child to use the stiff cord like a needle. Push the cord straight through one of the narrow punched holes. Pull it all the way through.
Continue threading and pushing the putty cords through the holes to create a colorful, textured design.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Theraputty/Playdough is a dense material and poses a choking hazard for children who still place items in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.

Heavy Paper Link Builders

Steps:

Tear the index cards into strips (about 1 inch wide). Encourage strong, controlled pulls for heavy work input.
Take one paper strip. Roll it tightly around a marker or a pencil, creating a dense cylinder. Slide the marker out.
Secure the dense paper cylinder tightly by wrapping masking tape completely around it. Press hard to create a firm ‘building block.’
Use markers to draw small connection dots onto the center of each paper block. Aim for four dots per block.
Pick up one pipe cleaner. Hold the first paper block steady with your helper hand.
Push the stiff pipe cleaner straight through one of the marked dots. Aim the pipe cleaner and thread it through a second block to link them. Twist the ends to secure the connection.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Small pieces of paper, masking tape, and cut pipe cleaners pose a significant choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.