Fine Motor Activity: Clip Grip
Supplies: Clothespins, Colorful Pom Poms and a Bowl
Directions: Set the pom poms and bowl in front of your child. Give them a clothespin and have them pick up the pom poms with the clothespin and transfer them into the bowl. Take it one step further and have your child count the pom poms after they have transferred them into the bowl.
Skills Learned: Exercises the small muscles in the fingers and hand. Prepares children for pencil grasping and writing activities. Develops fine motor skills by using movement and concentration. Hand-eye coordination and control. Math and quantity recognition.
Math & Manipulative Activity: Sticky Sculptures
Supplies: Colored Cornstarch Noodles and a Bowl of Water
Directions: Have your child dip the cornstarch noodle in water and stick the different pieces together to make a sculpture. Take it one step further by having your child count the noodles or classify them into color groups.
Skills Learned: Hand-eye coordination. Decision making ability. Math and quantity recognition. This also builds on their ability to follow one-three step instruction. Develops color recognition skills.
Gross Motor Activity: Shell Shucking
Supplies: A Piece of Cardboard and Seashells in a Variety of Sizes
Directions: Place the cardboard on the ground and put the large seashells on it. Have your child toss the smaller seashells into the larger ones. To take this one step further have your child count the seashells as they toss them.
Skills Learned: Develops gross motor skills by using coordination and balance. Hand-eye coordination and control. Math and quantity recognition.
Creative Expression Activity: Seascapes
Supplies: Brown Construction Paper, Glue and Seashells
Directions: Encourage your child to squeeze the glue onto their “beach” or construction paper. Have them add the shells to the glue. Take this opportunity to discuss the texture, color and size of the shells with your child.
Skills Learned: Builds their creativity and confidence through decision making and sensory exploration. Language development using descriptive words by describing the color, shape, and size of the seashells. Hand-eye coordination and control.
Science & Sensory Activity: Sensory Sandbox
Supplies: Sand, Box or Bowl and Seashells
Directions: Put the sand and seashells into the box or bowl. Let your little one go wild as they explore the textures of the sand and seashells. Encourage them to listen for the “ocean” in the seashell!
Skills Learned: Language development using descriptive words by describing the texture of the sand and seashells. Hand-eye coordination and control. Promotes scientific thinking including predictions, observation, comparison and reasoning. Self-expression and confidence.
Language Learning/Gross Motor Activity: Hokey Pokey
Supplies: Bells, Tambourine, Anything That Makes Noise and a Wide Open Space
Directions: Give your child the item you chose that makes noise. Sing Hokey Pokey and encourage your child to do the movements with you! Use positional words such as “put the bells IN”, “put the bells OUT”, “put the bells Up”, etc.
Skills Learned: Word development. Language development using positional words. Self-expression and confidence. Hand-eye coordination. Small motor control.