Jacks

I remember playing jacks all the time as a young girl.  I could play for hours, either by myself, or with a friend.  I never tired of it.  But kids these days have other amusements and, I fear, jacks has become less appealing.  Jacks are a great game for kids of all ages.  Playing Jacks works on  eye-hand coordination, counting skills, problem solving, and  fine motor control.   Plus, it entertains your child!
By the way: I didn't notice the "W" sit of my child until after I had posted this (my PT friends would chastise me for allowing this).

Here is a simple, yet great, fine motor activity.  Stickers!  Have your kids peal the stickers and put them onto a paper.  Here, we are putting "paw" stickers on the letter "P".  It's sometimes difficult to get the stickers off of the paper, but don't jump in to help too quickly.  Let your child use his problem solving skills to try to figure out a way to get the sticker off.  This is so great for pincer grasp and hand coordination.  Small stickers tend to be more difficult to peel.

Fishing for Snack

Try this quick and fun way to work on dexterity and eye hand coordination!  Give the child a spoonful of peanut butter in a dixie cup and a small blue plate with goldfish crackers.  Have him pull a small pretzel stick from a large cup using his pincer grasp and scoop a little peanut butter onto it, that's his bait.  Then press onto the fish crackers to 'catch' his snack!

Or try this for motivation.... use half a raisin or fruit snack and stick it at the end of a pathway or maze.

I had a parent ask what she could do to increase her son's finger strength since he had difficulty using his fingers to open lids, button buttons, and with controlling his pencil when writing.  This child is not very compliant with adult directed activities, so she wanted a way to strengthen his fingers that wouldn't necessarily be a "task" presented by an adult.  I suggested giving him a baggy filled with a snack, cereal or toy, for him to open.  Allow time for the child to problem solve through this.  You will be surprised how  difficult a task it is for small fingers.

For the birds

For an easy fun activity on a fine weather winter afternoon, take a walk and find some pinecones.  If you don't have big trees around, using an empty toilet paper roll will work too.  Put some peanut butter in a bowl and let kids use plastic knives or the backs of spoons to spread it on the pinecone.  Then roll it in birdseed.  Tie a string around the top and hang it near a window to watch new friends!

Candy Nativity

Try this for a twist on the gingerbread house!
Make a stable:
Break a graham cracker in half, then use a serrated knife to cut off one edge on each one at an angle.  Use icing to make these stand up on a paper plate.  Then use a full graham cracker to make the rooftop.  Crush frosted mini-wheats around to look like snowy hay!

Make the nativity figures:
Each figure is made with a tootsie roll, gumdrop, and a piece of fruit roll-up... use icing to put the gumdrop head onto the tootsie roll.  Then use a strip of fruit roll up to drape over the head and wrap around the tootsie roll body.  Use a mini candy cane to turn one of your people into a shepherd!

Make a marshmallow sheep:
Poke 5 holes in a large marshmallow, one on the side for the head and four for legs.  Cut a piece of black licorice into 5 pieces and poke them into the holes in the marshmallow.

Other stable animals:
Use icing to make other stable animals standing around using animal crackers.

Set this up and wait for baby Jesus to be born!  Parents, try using a small gingerbread cookie as baby Jesus, place him in the stable on Christmas eve for a special night.

Pick corn

Have left over corn or maze?  Have your kids pick off the kernels, it's a really good fine motor activity!  They can then glue them onto a piece of paper do design a picture.

Coffee or tea squirrel craft

Here's another fun, easy craft involving lots of senses!  Print out a squirrel outline, paint him all sticky with glue and sprinkle tea or coffee grinds on for his fur.  If your child dumps out the whole tea bag in one spot, more fun using pincer grasp to spread it out.  Not to mention all the fine motor work picking those little pesky tea spots off your hands!