Skill: Pincer Control

Using the tips of the thumb and index finger to pick up small objects. This delicate movement is used for eating finger foods, buttoning clothes, and eventually holding a pencil.

Plate Cymbal March

Plate Cymbal March

Steps:

  • Gather two paper plates (one for each hand). Help your child practice using the hole puncher to create 4 to 6 holes around the edges of each plate. Remind them to hold the plate steady with one hand while punching with the other!
  • Take three pipe cleaners and twist them together tightly to create one thick, sturdy ‘handle’ for each plate.
  • Help your child thread the pipe cleaner handle through two opposing holes on the plate edge. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner handle securely on the front of the plate so it won’t slip.
  • Once both plates have handles, encourage your child to march around the room, clapping the ‘cymbals’ together. Marching helps them integrate both sides of the body while providing great sensory input.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise children when using the hole puncher to prevent them from putting fingers inside the mechanism or attempting to punch clothes.

Fuzzy Stick Postbox

Fuzzy Stick Postbox

Steps:

  • Take a sturdy piece of cardboard (like the side of a shoe box) and, using a pencil or pen, carefully poke several holes across the surface. Make sure the holes are just wide enough for a pipe cleaner to fit through easily.
  • Present the cardboard ‘postbox’ and a pile of brightly colored pipe cleaners to your child. Encourage them to pick up a fuzzy stick with one hand and hold the cardboard steady with the other.
  • Guide your toddler to push the pipe cleaners through the holes, acting as if they are “mailing” the sticks to the other side. Encourage them to try different hole locations to increase motor planning demands.

Safety Tip:
Since this activity involves small, flexible materials, adult supervision is required at all times. Pipe cleaners can pose a choking hazard for children under 3 who may mouth objects.

Sticky Web Art

Sticky Web Art

Steps:

  • Select a clean, sturdy wall or door frame. Place a large piece of masking tape vertically to act as an anchor point.
  • Create a ‘sticky web’ or vertical canvas by attaching strips of masking tape across the anchored piece, ensuring the sticky side faces OUT toward the child.
  • Provide a bowl of pom-poms, crumbled tissue paper, and wiggle eyes. Encourage the child to peel and stick these items onto the sticky web. Challenge them to reach high and low to activate different muscle groups.
  • Discuss the textures and colors they are adding. This is a great way to work on bilateral coordination by having one hand stabilize the body while the other hand works to place the materials precisely.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise the activity. Ensure the floor area is clear, especially if your child is reaching up on their toes. When removing the tape, peel it off slowly and carefully to prevent paint damage.

Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off

A preschooler uses fine motor skills and a pincer grasp to pull a pom-pom off tacky masking tape on a vertical surface, demonstrating the Tacky Tape Puzzle Pull-Off activity for improved shoulder stability and hand strength.

Steps:

  • Tape a piece of construction paper vertically to a door or wall using masking tape. This is your ‘puzzle board.’
  • Use small loops of masking tape to stick several pom-poms and stickers onto the construction paper. Make sure they are secure enough to stay put but loose enough to be pulled off with some effort.
  • Challenge your preschooler to ‘rescue’ the materials from the tacky tape! Encourage them to stand and use both hands—one hand to stabilize the paper and the other hand to pull the items off using a pincer grasp.
  • For an added challenge, hide small plastic animals or lightweight blocks under larger pieces of tape, requiring more effort and bilateral hand use to tear the tape away.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise vertical activities to ensure the child does not climb or lean heavily on the surface. Check that the masking tape used does not damage the wall or door finish upon removal.

Pincer Penguin

Pincer Penguin - featured

You will need black, white, and orange-colored pom-poms to create the body, head, wings, beak, and feet of the penguin.

Instruct the child to glue 1 large black pom-pom and 1 large white pom-pom together. This will be the body of the penguin.

Glue 2 small sized black pom-poms to the body. These will be the wings.

Glue 2 small-sized orange pom-poms to the other side of the body. These will be the feet.

Instruct the child to take a medium-size black pom-pom and glue a small-sized orange pom-pom on it. This will the beak.

Glue 2 wiggle eyes above the beak. This will be the head of the penguin.

Glue the head of the penguin to the body.