GOOP!

Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water in a large mixing bowl. This creates a unique texture that will ooze through your fingers and is firm to pick up. A great sensory experience for all ages!

 

Finger puppets

Put different finger puppets on ALL of your child's fingers. Play a game having them using their thumb to touch each finger. For example if the thumb has a puppy puppet say, 'have the elephant give the dinosaur a kiss'. Do both hands!! Having kids isolate their fingers helps to improve fine motor control which ultimately helps with writing and dexterity!

 

Mod Podge Spring Flower Vase

You will need an empty snapple bottle or a plastic vase, mod podge (or 3 parts glue to 1 part water), and tissue paper. Have the kids tear up some tissue paper, dip it in the mod podge and stick it to the snapple bottle. Let dry and fill with flowers!

 

'Air Writing'

Using streamers or the fabric streamers with a handle, have fun writing letters in the air!! This is a great way to give the little ones a 'feel' for their letters while having fun!

 

Turkey Baster Art

Fill up plastic bowls with washable water color paint. Using butcher's roll paper tape paper to the floor or a table. Let your child create a modern art masterpiece!

 

Cereal Letter Painting

Make a glue design on a piece of paper (you can do simple shapes or even letters) and have kids pick up cereal pieces like Cheerios or Fruit Loops and drop them onto the glue. You can even have them use your Grasshopper Scissor Tongs to pick up the cereal (if you have the Snip, Glue and Grow Kit).

 

Memory in the Dark

Using a flashlight in a dark room make a design on the wall. It can be a circle, zigzag, cross etc. Your child should take a turn with the flashlight and copy your design on the wall. Switch off copying each other's flashlight designs.

 

Letter Gel Tracing

Fill a small ziplock bag with colored hair gel. Squeeze out the air and close tightly with duck tape so the bag can not be opened. Tape the bag to the table on each of the 4 corners and let your kids 'write' letters in the gel

 

Using Magnets or Stickers on an Easel

If you are doing stickers, just place a large blank sheet on the easel and bring on the stickers! For magnets you can use magnetic letters or any other shapes. Playing with an easel strengthens the small muscles of the hands and kids get to have fun!

 

Use Balloons to help your Child stay calm

Blowing up balloons is fun. By kids blowing up balloons they are 'forced' to take deep breaths. Deep breathing helps with focus and organization. You can tie it after and play balloon volleyball! Be careful not to leave the balloons out for younger kids, they can be a choking hazard.

 

Use scrabble pieces to play letter games

Show your child a letter and have them fine a 'match', find the letters in their names and spell it out, or for the more advanced..find all the 'abc's and put them in order. Have fun!

 

Tower of Power

Use wooden toaster tongs to build with small blocks. The one inch cube blocks are great for this. See how tall of a tower your child can build. The challenge is fun using tongs! Great to build hand muscles for grasp:-)

 

Decorate Holiday Cookies

Using a cookie cutter make sugar cookies with a holiday design (draydel or Christmas Tree). After the cookies are done use fondant icing (you can buy it at Michaels in different colors). Have the kids roll out some white and use the same cookie cutter to cut out the 'holiday' shape. 'Glue' it on top of the cookie using icing and decorate with colored fondant or special 'edible markers' (also available at Michaels).

 

Festive Decor: Let the Holidays begin!

Paper chains and confetti making are fun and simple while kids practice simple scissor use. Paper Chains: draw lines on a colored paper-let the kids cut along the straight line. Using a dot of glue make a circle and attach the next circle in the chain. For confetti: cut skinny long strips of colored paper for your child and let them snip of little confetti bits. Have fun!!

 

Most Fun

This one seems like a simple one, but can be a life changing tool! Simple: Each day ask your child what they did in school that was 'the most fun'. Simply asking this question helps a child focus on the positive and makes their school memory more enjoyable. Try and pick a consistent time of day to do this so it is worked into your routine (dinner time, right after school, etc.)

 

Get those little fingers ready to write

use your Grasshopper Easy Success Crayons (or break regular crayons into 1 inch tips) to color in a picture. Make it extra worthwhile with 'bumpy coloring' by taping a piece of sandpaper to the table and taping the picture on top. This will help kids get a resistance strengthening to the exact muscles of the hand used for writing!

 

Roll the dice for coordination, counting and fun!

Pick 3 activities with your child (ex: hopping on one foot, jumping jacks, jumping like a bunny). Take turns rolling the dice to see how many you each need to do. A great way to practice counting and get out energy on a cold day:-)

 

Handprint Turkey

Have your child trace their hand onto construction paper. Cut it out. Color the eyes. Either color each finger different colors for the 'feathers' or actually glue feathers over the fingers. Use a small red piece of construction paper cut out for the neck! Get creative and have fun. For the younger ones, they will probably need help with the cutting.

 

stickers designs on an easel

Using an easel for painting or coloring is a great fine motor activity-but playing a sticker game can be lots of fun! Put a blank piece of paper on the easel and let kids just stick their favorite stickers on to make a design. Peeling stickers is a great way to develop the small muscles of the hand while having fun!!

 

Make your own 'Mr. Crunch'!

Take a racket ball or a tennis ball and cut a slit for the 'mouth'. You and the kids can decorate making eyes and lips! Mr. Crunch can eat things like coins by squeezing him and making his mouth pop open and close! Let me know what 'yours' likes to eat!

 

Tissue Paper Letter Art

Write out large letters on a piece of paper. Have your child trace the letters with glue. Kids can tear up and scrunch different colors of tissue paper. Stick the pieces onto the glue and make ABC art or do their names! Tearing and scrunching the tissue paper is a great for the small muscles of the hand:-)

 

Bumper Car Coloring

Outline a picture with glue squeezing a line of glue around the edges. Allow the glue to dry creating a bumpy border. Kids can color in the picture 'bumping the lines' for instant success!

 

shake and wiggle

Play a game with your child having them 'shake and wiggle' one body part at a time. Call out each body part and your children will find they can actually shake out their 'wiggles'. 'Turn up' the learning a notch by being more descriptive...'shake out your RIGHT hand'. Help your little one get their energy out while improving body awareness and following directions skills:-)

 

Make your own balloon stress ball!

Have your child scoop flour or cornstarch with a spoon using a funnel to fill a balloon. Tie the balloon. This is great to build the small muscles of the hands, relieve stress, and for FUN! Be careful because eventually it will POP! For added fun your child (or you) can decorate the balloon!!

 

Coffee Filter Flower Power

Use an eye dropper to drip 'color' (food coloring mixed with water) onto a large white coffee filter. Mixing the colors is so much fun! Using the eye dropper kids can work on their fine motor skills while they have fun creating a beautiful water color flower!

 

Teacher Says

Play 'teacher says' to get ready for school: Kids will get back into the routine of following instructions or into that routine for the first time. Try alternating very active instructions ('teacher says jump up and down') with activities where the kids need to be in control ('teacher says touch your right hand to your ear') This will help to prepare them for changes of routine in school!

 

The sponge game

An outdoor activity that is great for getting little hands ready! Take two buckets one of which is full of water. Using a large sponge, show your child how you can squeeze the sponge to move the water to the empty bucket. Let them try and move as much water as they can to other bucket. Be prepared for a water fight:-)

 

Bubble Volcano

Taking deep breaths helps all of us relax...making a bubble volcano is a great way to help kids relax and get focussed. Put some dishwashing liquid or liquid hand soap in a mixing bowl and add water until its around 1/4 full. Put a straw into the bowl and let kids blow until the bubbles come up over the top! Even if it makes a mess-its soapy water!! HAVE FUN!!

 

Help your child relax before bed

Make a 'squish box' taking a large bin and fill it with stuffed animals-let your child sit in their personal squish box during book time. This creates a 'womb' like environment and helps kids relax before bed. Sweet dreams!!

 

Piggy Bank

Make a piggy bank for your kids to help them learn the value of saving money! Cut a slit in a shoe box to make room for coins. Its fun to decorate and pushing the pennies into the slot is a great fine motor activity that works on the small muscles of the hands for grasp. Its also terrific for counting and sorting!! So many benefits!!