This week

Springtime is finally here! This week we will improve our fine motor skills through super fun springtime crafts! These activities are created to spend some quality time as a family. This week we will be primarily focusing on improving grip strength, dexterity and pinch strength. Because everyone’s family is different, I have provided a couple of different activities to choose from. I would like your student to complete at least one, but feel free to work on them all throughout the week! Once the activity is complete, email me a picture of your child’s work and let me know how it went!

Egg decorating

Encouraging your child to pick up and handle each hard boiled egg as they decorate it is a fun way for them to feel independent while working on their fine motor skills. Please prepare the hardboiled eggs for your child and allow them to cool prior to playtime. Using handled egg scoops can also be a great way for them to work on their dynamic grip strength and coordination. Here are some fun ideas of different ways to decorate your eggs!

• Try using a wax crayon on a hard boiled egg to draw on different shapes, designs or a secret message onto the egg so once it is dipped in dye, your design is revealed.

• Wrap a piece of fabric across the egg before squirting dye onto the egg to create a tie dye effect. Layering a few colors is fun with this idea, too!

• Add stickers to your eggs before you dye them to either keep on or to reveal a fun shape when removed!

• Try spreading a thin layer of shaving cream at the bottom of a cake pan or cookie sheet (preferably one with higher sides to reduce mess). Swirl dots of food coloring into the shaving cream to create a fun pattern. Roll the egg into the shaving cream to reveal a fun swirling pattern! If there is additional shaving cream on the egg, either allow it to dry or wipe excess away with paper towel.

Create and cut hearts

Spread kindness throughout your neighborhood by decorating and creating hearts to hang on your front door. Below, you will find fun ideas on how to decorate your hearts!

• Using crayons, markers or paint, draw shapes, designs or pictures on hearts!

• Write out each family members name on a heart and decorate it!

• Draw animal prints on each heart!

• Create a rainbow of hearts by creating a few hearts in each color of the rainbow (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and then arrange them on your door in a fun pattern!

With the supervision and assistance of an adult, cut out the hearts and tape them to the door in a fun pattern!

Chalk it out

Have some fun outside and decorate your driveway, sidewalk or the sidewalk at a nearby park with your family!

• Spread kindness by writing encouraging and happy messages!

• Draw pictures of things or people that bring you joy!

• Color a pattern in the ground! If there are bricks, try coloring each brick in a different color or pattern!

If you do not have chalk at home, here is a link to a homemade chalk recipe: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Homemade-Chalk