• Help your child count the number of objects inside one muffin hole.
Hide and Seek Playdough
Develops your child’s hand strength and
improves finger coordination
What You Need
playdough | small objects, such as marbles, coins, pegs, or animals
What to Do
• Set out the playdough and small objects to explore.
• Hide a few of the objects inside some of the playdough, and invite your child to find them.
More Fun!
• Place small cups at the table. Ask your child to place each object she finds inside the playdough into a small cup. Then help her count how many objects she found.
• Invite her to close her eyes and try to find the objects hidden in the playdough using only her fingers.
• Cutting playdough improves hand strength, so give your child scissors and encourage her to cut the playdough into pieces.
Sand Castle Clay
Improves your child’s hand strength and enhances her fine motor coordination
What You Need
large bowl and a spoon for mixing (Note: Sand may scratch the bowl during mixing.) | 1 cup sand | 1 package Jell-O® sugar-free gelatin | ½ cup cornstarch | ¾ cup hot water | 1 tsp alum (found in the spice aisle of your grocery store) | food coloring
Note: Double the recipe if you want to do the activity below in More Fun!
What to Do
• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (adult-only step).
• Allow the clay to cool (adult-only step), and then knead it.
• Encourage your child to mold sand castles with her hands.
• Observe how your child uses her hands to manipulate the clay.
More Fun!
• Provide sand tools, such as small hand-held shovels, buckets, or craft sticks, and small shells for decorating castles.
“Pop” Straws
Develops your child’s pre-scissor skills
What You Need
plastic straws (must be thick plastic) | child-safe scissors
What to Do
• Show your child how to hold a straw with one hand and snip pieces from it with the scissors. Say “Pop!” as he cuts the straw.
• Encourage him to cut his straw and listen for the “pop!”
More Fun!
• Provide paper and glue for him to use to make unusual artwork with his pieces of straw.
• Help him stack or build “structures” with straw pieces and glue.
Card Cutting
Helps your child practice holding scissors appropriately
What You Need
card-weight paper including magazine inserts, junk mailings, greeting cards, or index cards | child-safe scissors
What to Do
• Cut greeting cards into single pieces (instead of folded), so they are easier for your child to manipulate.
• Show her the proper way to hold and cut with scissors. Give her verbal cues, such as “Thumb on top!” or “Open, close, open, close.”
• Invite her to cut the cards with scissors, and help her hold the scissors correctly, if necessary.
More Fun!
• Make a shaker out of scrap card pieces. Help your child cut her card into pieces of confetti. Place the confetti inside a clean, clear, dry plastic bottle. Secure the lid onto the bottle with glue.
Clothespin Airplanes
Develops your child’s pre-scissor skills and hand strength
What You Need
wooden clothespins (squeeze type) | craft sticks | glue (wood glue works best) | pizza boards or pieces of cardboard
What to Do
• Help your child glue a craft stick to one stem of the squeezable end of a clothespin. The craft stick should be perpendicular to the clothespin, similar to a tail wing for an airplane. Allow to dry thoroughly.
• Give him a piece of cardboard to use as a runway and show him how to squeeze the clothespins with his fingers on the “tail wing” so that the airplane will open.
• He can take the plane in for a landing by placing clothespins around the edges of the cardboard.
More Fun!
• Encourage him to use markers, paint, or glitter to decorate his airplanes or design his runways.
• Hang runways vertically at his shoulder height to add a new landing challenge.
Shredded Paper Collage
Develops your child’s eye-hand coordination and the ability to use two hands to tear paper
What You Need
pieces of medium-weight paper, such as construction paper or paper bags pieces of light-weight paper, such as newspaper or magazines | glue sticks or small bowls of glue | paper (for the collage base)
What to Do
• Encourage your child to use two hands to tear strips of paper to make shredded paper.
• Encourage her to glue the shredded paper onto a clean piece of paper to make a collage. She may use glue sticks or dip the strips of paper into glue.
• Talk about her creation. Is the collage flat or raised? Are the shredded pieces of paper long or short?
More Fun!
• Invite her to paint her shredded paper collage after the glue dries. This will add another dimension to the art.
• Sprinkle glitter on the collage while the glue is still wet.
Squirt Game
Develops your child’s hand strength for scissor skills and his eye-hand coordination
What You Need
small, plastic spray bottles filled with water | bath soap foam (color foam works best) | finger paint paper or wax paper | plastic shower curtain or sheet | easel or wall
What to Do
Note: This is a great outdoor activity.
• Cover the floor with a shower curtain or sheet and clip or tape paper to an easel or the wall.
• Help your child make a target by squirting bath-soap foam in a circle (target shape) on the paper. Ask your child to squirt the target with water.
• See how many squirts it takes to wash the target away.
More Fun!
• Experiment with different sizes and distances for the target.
Tong Pick-Up
Helps your child practice opening and closing tools and builds hand strength and coordination
What You Need
variety of tongs (large, small, plastic, metal) | variety of tweezers (large, small, plastic, metal) | small objects, such as cotton balls, cotton swabs, pieces of sponge, crayons, small blocks, pegs, or Lego blocks | variety of containers
What to Do
• Show your child how to use tongs and tweezers to pick up small objects.
• Encourage her to use the tongs and tweezers to place objects into the various containers.
• Ask her which objects are easier and which objects are more difficult to pick up with the tools. Why?
More Fun!
• Add playdough to the activity. Your child can roll small balls and snakes, or she can tear the playdough into pieces to pick up with tongs or tweezers.
• See how many objects she can put into a container without dropping one.
Body Shapes
Improves your child’s bilateral coordination, helps him identify shapes, and develops his pre-writing skills
What You Need
No materials needed
What to Do
• Show your child an example of a line (for example: vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) or shape (for example: circle, square, or triangle).
• Ask him to use his body to form that line or shape.
• If he is having difficulty, demonstrate how to make the line or shape with your body.
• Talk with your child about the characteristics of the shape. For instance, a circle is round and a square has four sides.
• Encourage your child to try to make the shape again, and help him as needed.
More Fun!
• Take photographs of your child
making the Body Shapes. Hang the photos alongside a drawing of the corresponding shape so he has a model to look at later when he is trying to make the shape again.
Cardboard Stencils
Helps your child learn how to draw shapes and develops the foundations for writing
What You Need
scrap pieces of cardboard (two-ply cardboard works well) | adult scissors or knife (for adult use only) | large markers or large crayons | paper and card stock
What to Do
• Cut out circles, squares, and triangles from cardboard (adult-only step).
Note: Shapes that are 4”-6” in diameter work best for preschool-aged children. Save the outside pieces of cardboard to use as stencils.
• Show your child how to use cardboard shapes and stencils. Encourage her to use one hand to hold the stencil and the other hand to trace around the edge.
More Fun!
• To encourage a good grasp and wrist posture, use clips to place stencils on easels. This will give your child the experience of writing on a vertical surface.
• Invite her to use the card stock to create greeting cards and to decorate them with the stencils.
No-Mess Fingerpainting
Develops your child’s finger isolation and helps him learn to make simple lines or shapes
What You Need
resealable plastic freezer bags | fingerpaints
What to Do
• Give your child a resealable plastic freezer bag.
• After he chooses the color that he wants, help him pour the fingerpaint into his bag.
• Help him close and seal the bag securely. Make sure the bag does not have excess air inside.
• Place the sealed bag flat on the table or floor and show your child how to use his index fingers to make lines or shapes in the paint.
• Talk about the different shapes or designs that your child makes.
More Fun!
• Squirt two different colors of paint into the bag. Encourage your child to use his index finger to mix the paint together.
• Explore the new colors he creates by mixing paint.
Racing Tracks
Develops your child’s foundations for writing
What You Need
large sheet of paper | paint, markers, or electrical tape | variety of small cars and trucks
What to Do
• Cut a sheet of paper large enough to cover your entire tabletop or floor space.
• Help your child draw or use electrical tape to make a racetrack, using circles and large vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines.
Note: Keep the pattern simple and make lines a solid color.
• Encourage your child to drive her cars and trucks on the racetrack.
• Ask her to identify the round and straight lines of the track.
More Fun!
• Help your child design and draw her own tracks by using a variety of lines and shapes.
• Encourage her to dip the wheels of the cars into paint and then trace the lines and shapes of the tracks.
Wall Washing
Develops your child’s pre-writing skills
What You Need
large adult-size paintbrushes (at least 3” wide) or paint rollers | large bucket of water | liquid soap (if you want to use soapy water) | sidewalk chalk | outside wall or fence
What to Do
• Encourage your child to use sidewalk chalk to draw large circles, crosses, and horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines on the outside wall or fence.
• Give him a bucket of water and paintbrushes or rollers and invite him to “wash the wall” with the paintbrushes or rollers.
• Show him how to trace the lines or shapes with the wet paintbrush to make the drawing disappear.
More Fun!
• Use large sponges or rags instead of paintbrushes to wash the wall.
Yarn Shapes
Develops your child’s ability to trace simple shapes and to use glue and other art materials in play
What You Need
paper with horizontal lines, vertical lines, circles, squares, and triangles drawn on it | markers | glue stick or cotton swabs and small bowl of glue | yarn pre-cut into various lengths
What to Do
• Give your child the paper with lines or shapes drawn on it and encourage her to trace over the lines or shapes with glue.
• Glue yarn to the lines or shapes.
• Talk about the shapes she made.
• Once the glue is dry, she can feel and trace the yarn shapes with her fingers.
More Fun!
• Give her a blank sheet of paper and invite her to make her own yarn lines or shapes.
• Use the completed yarn shapes as templates and trace inside or outside the shapes with markers.
• You can also use the completed sheet with the yarn shapes to make a simple crayon rubbing. Place a sheet of plain paper on top and rub back and forth with a crayon. See what happens!
Cup Tower
Gives your child experience with lacing and develops his eye-hand coordination
What You Need
small paper cups, such as bathroom cups | coffee stirrers or plastic straws | pieces of Styrofoam | markers, crayons, stickers, and other materials
What to Do
• Poke a small hole in the bottom of each small paper drinking cup (adult-only step). Make sure the hole is just big enough for the straw or coffee stirrer.
• Encourage your child to use coffee stirrers or plastic straws to string the paper cups together.
• Show him how to stick one end of the straw into a Styrofoam base, to make the cup tower stand tall.
• Talk about how many cups can fit on one straw. Ask your child questions. For instance, “How tall is the finished tower?”
More Fun!
• If your child has difficulty holding or lacing the cups, consider having him place one end of the straw into the Styrofoam before beginning. This will hold the straw steady.
• Decorate the paper cups with markers, crayons, and stickers.
Ribbon Pull
Improves your child’s pincer grasp
What You Need
clean coffee can with plastic lid | variety of ribbon | scissors and sharp knife (for use by adults only)
What to Do
• Cut pieces of ribbon into different lengths at least 12” long (adult-only step).
• Use a knife to cut slits in the coffee can lid for each ribbon; thread ribbons through the slits (adult-only step).
• Tie a knot on one end of each ribbon.(The knot should be inside the can when you secure the lid. )
• Position the ribbons so that a small piece of each one sticks out from the top of the lid.
• Secure the lid (adult-only step).
• Show your child how to pull each ribbon with her fingers.
• Invite her to pull the ribbons out of the can. Once all the ribbons are as far out of the can as possible, remove the lid and reposition the ribbons to start again.
More Fun!
• Before beginning, ask your child to predict which ribbon will be the longest. Once all the ribbons are out, talk about the colors, textures, lengths, and widths. Help her determine which ribbon is the longest and which is the shortest.
Shish-Kabob Snack
Develops your child’s bilateral hand skills and expands his eye-hand coordination
What You Need
foods that are easy to skewer, such as bananas, pineapple, strawberries, melon, or marshmallows | wooden shish-kabob skewers or chopsticks
What to Do
• Give your child a wooden skewer or chopstick.
Safety Note: Skewers have sharp ends, so be sure to supervise this activity.
• Let him choose the foods and show him how to lace the food onto the skewer.
• Talk about the shapes and colors of food items.
• After he finishes making his shish-kabob snack, he can eat and enjoy i
t!
More Fun!
• Challenge him to see how many pieces of food will fit on a skewer.
• Suggest that he create a food pattern, such as banana, pineapple, banana, pineapple.
Straw Jewelry
Develops your child’s eye-hand coordination and improves bilateral hand skills
What You Need
colorful straws | child-safe scissors | plastic string for making jewelry
What to Do
• Invite your child to cut straws into small pieces, ½”-1” in length.
Note: See “Pop” Straws activity on page 34 for more ideas with straws.
• Help her cut a piece of string long enough for a necklace or bracelet.
• Tie a large knot in one end of string.
• Encourage your child to string pieces of straw onto the string.
• When the string is full of straw pieces, help your child tie the two ends together to make a bracelet or necklace.
Everyday Play Page 3