Anyone else getting stir crazy?? Schools are closed...and so is everything else. The snowmen are built, the sledding has been done, the whining is without end. Never fear! A few more ideas for indoor fun to occupy the kids and build up their upper body and fine motor skills:
(Image via MotherhoodOnaDime.com)
- Balloon volleyball, tennis and baseball. If you don't have a tennis racket or bat, use a cardboard tube from wrapping paper or paper towel rolls.
- Fill a bin with dry rice or beans or both and bury coins for kids to retrieve and place into a piggy bank. This is great for tactile discrimination and fine motor precision.
- Find objects around the house to build castles, forts, obstacles etc. to work on upper body strength, bilateral coordination and force grading as well as visual spatial skills.
(Image via Daysoftheyear.com)
- Work their fingers by playing with clay, Play-Doh, Model Magic, kinetic sand, or shaving cream to activate the tactile system and improve overall hand skills.
- Encourage your children to help "clean the house". Use spray bottles, sponges, and towels to get those hand muscles working.
(Image via Vimbly.com)
- Engage you child in cooking activities. Mixing ingredients encourages bilateral coordination, opening containers and mixing dough reinforces hand strength.
School will be back in session eventually! Until then, try to make the best of all this time with the kids... Good luck!
