July 2020, BusyLittleHands.co

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! This is a great fine motor task that can be easily modified for a variety of developmental levels. You can use it to work on drawing basic shapes, tracing, cutting out sharp corners, snipping with scissors, hand strengthening, exploring new textures, etc.

Materials:

Construction paper
Glue
Cotton balls
Scissors
Straws (or some type of “sprinkles”)

First, trace the triangle template or have the child draw a triangle. For my little one, I will have the pieces pre-cut.

Next, glue the triangle “cone” onto a larger piece of paper. Pasting a piece of paper onto a larger piece of paper is a developmental skill that is often overlooked, but typically expected to emerge in the 24-30 month age range.

Next, pull apart the cotton balls and glue them on top of the cone. Pulling apart cotton balls is harder than you might think. A lot of times, I have to loosen them a bit so the child can be successful. It’s also an interesting texture to explore- I’ve actually had a few kiddos that really disliked it…and one friend that actually gagged!

Glue can sometimes be a difficult texture for sensory defensive kids to process. I always have a baby wipe nearby to offer them if necessary.

It’s almost unavoidable to not get glue and cotton on your hands with this one!

Now you are ready for sprinkles! I love using straws when first teaching kids to snip with scissors. The straw pieces fly every which way and they love it. It’s super motivating AND they are learning the motor plan to open and close the scissors.

Snip the straw pieces, then glue them onto the cotton “ice cream.” Colored glue comes in handy for this part to give a visual contrast between the glue and the cotton. No need to buy colored glue – just add a few drops of food coloring to a bottle you already have!

I hope you have some little people in your life that would enjoy this craft! I would love to see your creations!!

I have used variations of this American flag craft for several years with my therapy kiddos. It’s easy to adapt to target specific skills for a variety of developmental levels. You can certainly use bits and pieces of each option to create the perfect challenge for your kiddo!

Materials:

Red, white and blue paper
Glue
Tape
A craft stick
Star hole punch (optional)
Writing utensil

This first option targets lots of cutting skills including straight lines to cut the stripes and sharp corners to cut out the rectangles. The single star hole punch is great to strengthen small hands. Mine is really old, but they are currently available at Michael’s craft stores. You could also use star stickers, poms, or whatever you have on hand in place of the stars. The child can prep as many of the pieces as appropriate, then assemble them to make the flag.

I typically use some version of this option for my toddlers or older kids at that developmental level.

Materials:

A craft stick
Red and blue paper
Glue Stick
Chalk (or white crayon)
Tape
White paint

I have all the pieces ready and have them practice pasting the smaller blue paper onto the larger red paper. Then, they can work on drawing horizontal writing strokes to make the strips on the flag.

I like using little fingers dipped in paint to make dots to serve as the “stars” on the flag!

This third option is perfect for kids working on coloring within a boundary. Coloring between lines is a skill often assessed on developmental tests. It works on fine motor control which is required for writing – especially when they start writing letters between two lines!