Blog & Resources
Click here for links to the materials used in all the activities below.
5 Tape Activities for Toddlers
Over Christmas break, we were snowed in like much of the Midwest. Even though it was too cold to go outside, Meredtith needed to get some energy out. While we do have a wooden jungle gym that she can climb and play on, I wanted to build something different for her to challenge her in new ways.
Using the skills that I have seen her starting to build and practice, I built her a tape obstacle course. All I needed to do this was a roll (or two) of masking tape. I wanted to make sure not to use any type of tape that would damage our flooring or our walls, so masking tape seemed like the best option.
For reference, Meredith is 27 months (2 years + 3 months).
Here are five challenges we made and the skill that she practiced when doing this:
"balance beam" ; putting one foot in front of the other in a line without holding onto anything
hopscotch ; jumping in and then out while moving in a forward motion
wheelbarrow ladder ; holding her own body weight and moving herself forward
"lazer" maze ; self awareness and ability to bend and move to avoid objects
We did change out the lazer maze and switched to a zig-zag balance beam after all of the lazer tape had fallen.
jumping squares ; jumping with and landing on two feet from one spot to another
According to the CDC, a child that is 30 months old should be able to do things like turn a door knob (or soemthing similar like a jar), take some clothes off by him/herself, jump off the ground with both feet, and turn pages one at a time when being read to. Two of these are fine motor skills and two are considered gross motor. The gross motor tasks are the ones the involve more than the hands, like taking off clothing or jumping with both feet. This obstacle course that we amde for Meredith was all about gross motor skills! Those big movements that kids do like running, jumping, climbing, balancing, hanging, galloping, skipping... those are all developing the child's sense of core stabilization. Without our core, we would have trouble doing things like dressing ourselves, getting in and out of the car, and even sitting at the table to eat. Imagine how hard it would be to go to school/work everyday if your core couldn't holdnyour body upright all day. That would be exhausting
It doesn't take much to engage our children in gross motor activities. Whether you are snowed in or not, just doing thinks like playing catch, jumping around, or kicking a ball back and forth engage children in core stabilizing activities. The added bonus of gross motor activities is also that your toddler may also sleep better at night after getting a good "workout" in. :)
December 9, 2022
Let's talk fine motor skills..
When we think of fine motor skills we think of things like tying our shoe laces, zipping our coats, and picking up tiny objects. While these are absolutely examples of fine motor skills, do we really know what we can do to help our hands and fingers prepare for these tasks? How do we build the concentration needed to work on these skills? Let's find out.
Fine motor skills, as their name explains, are small (fine) movements. As adults, we use fine motor skills everyday when we eat, tie our shoes, and zip our coat. We are able to concentrate and complete the task at hand. For children, these tasks are much harder and require increased concentration and extra practice. Have you ever watched a young toddler try to grab the zipper pull tab of their coat? It's hard! Toddlers have to really practice. Here are 3 fun (and cheap) activities to engage your child in fine motor practice.
When working with your child on fine motor skills, and any skill that is new to them, practice using this method to introduce them to the concept. I do, we do, you do. You would be surprised at how few words your child needs. Don't distract them with words. Let them explore and engage with the material. :)
Flower arranging : My daughter loves making her flower arrangement and sharing it with her great grandma. You will need a tray, jar, lid, artificial or real flowers (up to you) that are cut to size, and a frog lid. Let your little human explore the material and decide how the flowers should be arranged! If they need help, help them hand-in-hand instead of doing it for them. The goal is their fine motor development and concentration, not yours.
These next two activites require two hands and increased concentration. The child's brain is focusing on two things at once and the child's hands work together in unison to complete the task at hand. Hand and eye coordination and increased concentration are at work here. Don't be surprised when your child only does this work for a few minutes at first... its exhausting to concentrate this hard at first.
Bead stringing : This is a skill that my daughter has worked on since about 12 months old. She started with big chunky beads and a shoe string and worked her way up to small plastic beads with a leather string. She enjoys stringing beads to make "bracelets" for me and her stuffed puppy. I tie a knot on the end of string to help from them falling, then add a keychain loop later on. One hand holds the string, the other the bead. Add the bead to the string, then pull the string through. That is a multi-step process!
Transfering with tongs : Using tongs is a skill that requres the child's hands to use the tongs to pick up an object, in this case, pom pom balls, and then decide where to put it. The skill of using tongs is difficult to master, depending on the type of tongs you have. Make sure that the tongs cannot lock/unlock and the child has complete control over the tongs. You can use an egg carton to place the balls into, or just another jar. Whatever works for you and your little human. Maybe they want to put them into the back of a dump truck. Make it fit your family. The practice is the same either way.
As your child gets more and more comfrotable with the skills they practice, let them struggle a little bit more and more. They are learning to perservere and to problem solve. Little humans are learning how to be functioning people in the world and struggle is a part of that. Our "big picture" goal is to help little humans become big, independent, and functioning, humans, right? You've got this.