Skill: Visual Motor

How the eyes and hands work together as a team. This is essential for tasks where movement is guided by vision, like catching a ball, cutting on a line, or staying within the lines when coloring.

The Silver Foil Starry Night

The Silver Foil Starry Night

Steps:

  • Place a piece of flat cardboard inside the bottom of an aluminium foil pan.
  • Secure the cardboard with masking tape so it stays firmly in place.
  • Flip the pan over so the bottom is facing up toward your child.
  • Hand your child a golf ball tee and show them how to hold it like a pencil.
  • Encourage them to poke the tee through the foil to create small ‘stars’ across the pan.
  • Challenge them to poke holes to form a simple shape like a circle or a square!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when using golf ball tees. They have pointed ends and should be handled with care. Ensure your child remains seated during the activity to prevent accidents.

The Foil Pan Hockey Challenge

The Foil Pan Hockey Challenge

Steps:

  • Use masking tape to mark a small goal at one end of the pan.
  • Place one marble at the opposite end of the pan.
  • Give your child a craft stick to use as a hockey stick.
  • Ask them to hold the pan with their helper hand to keep it still.
  • Use the other hand to push the marble toward the goal.
  • Navigate around obstacles made of tape or blocks!
  • See how many goals they can score in one minute.

Safety Tip:
Marbles are a significant choking hazard. Always supervise children during play and keep small parts away from younger siblings.

The Bubble Foundation Tower

The Bubble Foundation Tower

Steps:

  • Place a small square of bubble wrap on a flat table.
  • Stack three small blocks on top of the bubble wrap foundation.
  • Use your markers to draw a tiny target on a single bead.
  • Hold your tweezers in your dominant hand like a pencil.
  • Carefully pick up the bead using the very tip of the tweezers.
  • Place the bead on the very center of the top block.
  • Try to add another block to the tower without dropping the bead!

Safety Tip:
Beads can be a choking hazard. Always supervise children during play and keep small parts away from younger siblings.

Cosmic Antenna Balance

Cosmic Antenna Balance

Steps:

  • Press a medium ball of playdough onto the center of a sturdy cardboard sheet to create the base.
  • Push three Q-Tips into the playdough at an angle to create a tripod stand.
  • Place a baking cup upside down on top of the three Q-Tip ends.
  • Gently rest a fourth Q-Tip across the flat bottom of the upside-down baking cup.
  • Carefully slide one paper clip onto each end of the horizontal Q-Tip to act as satellite dishes.
  • Challenge your child to add more paper clips without tipping the whole antenna over!

Safety Tip:
Ensure the structure is built on a flat, stable surface. Keep small parts away from younger siblings.

The Tummy Time Sun Rays

The Tummy Time Sun Rays

Steps:

  • Draw a large sun with long rays on construction paper using your markers.
  • Use masking tape to secure the paper firmly to the floor so it does not move.
  • Squeeze small dots of glue along the lines of the sun’s rays.
  • Ask your child to lie on their stomach on the floor, facing the paper.
  • Place a paper plate with a small pile of beans right in front of them.
  • Encourage your child to lift their chest and head up high while they reach for the beans.
  • Have them use their thumb and pointer finger to pick up one bean at a time.
  • Challenge them to press the beans into the glue dots to decorate the sun.
  • Encourage them to switch hands to help both sides of their body get stronger!

Safety Tip:
Choking Hazard: Beans are small objects that can be a safety risk. Always supervise your child during play and ensure all beans are collected afterward.