Proximal Stability - Page 34 of 48

Coil Drop Target

Steps:

Adult Prep: Tightly coil 5 to 6 pipe cleaners into small, narrow spirals or loops to create the targets.
Clip one pipe cleaner spiral onto the open end of a clothespin. Repeat this for all the coils.
Fill a separate container halfway with water and add a few drops of food coloring to create ‘magic potion.’
Ask your child to clip the clothespin targets onto the rim of the paper cup, making sure the coils hang inside.
Challenge your child to hold the eyedropper with a neat pincer grasp, suck up the colored water, and carry it to the paper cup.
Carefully aim the eyedropper and squeeze gently to deposit the colored drops into the narrow opening of the pipe cleaner coil. Repeat until the coils are full.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a potential choking hazard for young children. Ensure the colored water is not ingested.

Felt Tapestry Push

Steps:

Adult Prep: Use scissors to cut 8 to 10 tight, narrow, horizontal slits into the felt sheet.
Secure the felt tightly onto the cardboard using masking tape on all edges. Tape the cardboard base firmly onto the table.
Take two pipe cleaners and twist them tightly together to create one stiff, thick ‘needle’ for threading.
Hold the cardboard base steady with your helper hand. Use a strong pincer grasp to pick up the end of the stiff pipe cleaner needle.
Challenge your child to thread the pipe cleaner straight through one tight felt slit. Push it completely through, feeling the resistance of the fabric.
Continue threading the pipe cleaner into the remaining slits, creating a dense, woven tapestry pattern across the felt surface.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a potential choking hazard for young children. Ensure all materials are used only as intended.

Precision Tube Drop

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut a 4-inch wide strip from the foam sheet. Roll the strip tightly to create a narrow, stable tube, securing the seam firmly with masking tape.
Secure the bottom of the foam tube vertically onto the construction paper using plenty of masking tape. The paper acts as a base.
Place the sticks in the container next to the base. Ask your child to sit stably and use their helper hand to hold the base firmly.
Challenge your child to pick up one craft stick using a neat pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).
Encourage them to aim carefully and drop the stick straight down through the narrow opening of the foam tube without touching the sides.
Repeat this precision task until all the craft sticks have been successfully dropped into the tube.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Craft sticks are small items and pose a potential choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths.

Sponge Stick Rotation

Steps:

Fill the bowl with water. Soak the sponge completely. Ask your child to wring the sponge out tightly, making it damp and dense.
Place the damp, dense sponge firmly inside the plastic container to keep it stable on the table.
Hold the container steady with your helper hand. Pick up one craft stick using a comfortable grasp with your working hand.
Aim the flat end of the stick at the sponge. Use a strong, twisting motion to screw the stick halfway into the resistant sponge.
Continue twisting all the craft sticks into the sponge until the surface looks like a prickly cushion.
Challenge your child to reverse the movement: use a strong twist and pull to remove the sticks one by one. Try switching hands for stabilization.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure the child remains seated while working and only uses the craft sticks for the intended twisting action.

Resistant Card Weave Pull

Steps:

Ask an adult to cut 8 to 10 index cards into thick, uniform strips (about 1 inch wide).
Weave the strips together tightly in an over-under checkerboard pattern to create a square ‘mat’.
An adult should securely wrap masking tape around the entire perimeter of the woven square. Wrap the tape tightly to keep the weave stable and add resistance.
Place the finished woven card square flat on a stable table. Challenge your child to hold the square firmly steady with their non-dominant hand (the helper hand).
Encourage your child to use their working hand to grasp the edge of one woven strip and pull it straight out of the resistant tape frame.
The pulling requires strong, controlled force. Continue pulling the strips free until the entire woven piece has been unraveled. Drop the rescued strips into the container.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Adults should handle the scissors during preparation. Ensure the child remains seated stably when performing the strong pulling motions.