Simple for Mom: Foamies Kits

Foamies are great for the day you need a simple craft project. The kit comes with all of the foam pieces pre-cut for you so that you just add glue! My kids love to make these.

I have always bought mine at Joannes Crafts. You could get them at just about any craft store I am sure. Joannes will have them go on sale. You can also sign up for their mailer that will give you 40% off regular priced items if you don't want to wait for the sale. I love to buy several packs when they are on sale so we can have something simple to do when I need simple!

While completing these kits, your child will learn about gluing skills, how small pieces come together to make a whole, will practice fine motor skills, and will have some interesting texture with the foam pieces.

Hide-and-Seek in the Dark

Ignore the not-so-great picture. It was dark...using the flash defeats the purpose. We taught our 18 month old how to play hide-and-seek in the house, but this time turned out all the lights. She and her sister each had a flashlight (18 month old used a head lamp) and went searching for Dad. They'd have to use their limited sight and listen very closely for quiet noises my husband would make to give them clues. Then we switched and let the girls hide. They had a blast, got to practice counting to 10 about a million times, and got really good at looking for subtle clues.

We did this activity on a rainy day to burn some energy and have some family fun together. Even the dog played. :)

Tub Painting

When you've been trapped inside due to weather or for whatever other reason, sometimes you need to liven the routine up a little. We've been known to throw in an extra bath time during the day. Nothing like a little body painting to chase away the midwinter stuck-inside-too-long blues. At least that's the motto in this house. :)

An easy (and cheap) way to make bath time, day or night, a little more fun is to make bath finger paint.

I let Charis help mix it together using measuring spoons. The measurements don't have to be exact. I add more or less of any ingredient to get the consistency of finger paint.

Recipe:

1 T cornstarch

2 T liquid soap (shampoo, body wash, etc)

food coloring

Mix cornstarch and soap together. I usually double or triple the recipe. Then add a few drops of food coloring to get the desired color. Last time I did it I did 2 T cornstarch and 3 of soap and it turned out fine.

So far it hasn't stained anything and washes off the walls perfectly. Great time to work on colors or cause and effect from mixing colors!

Pre-Writing Skills

Have you ever stopped to watch a young child color? Often times they color using their entire arm, in a scribbling motion. As they get older, the movement involves less of their arms and more of the wrists. Then gradually it becomes movement from the wrists and fingers, using very little of their arms and shoulders, if any. It's called proximal-distal motor development. Basically it means that kids learn to control the muscles closest to the body first (like the shoulders) before they learn to control the muscles that are far away from the body (like the wrist, hand, and fingers).

I am not an occupational therapist and don't claim to be. But according to some occupational therapists that I've spoken to and handwriting programs I've seen, there are a few shapes that need to be mastered in order to write. I don't know if they have to be mastered in order to be able to write, but it may help with neat handwriting and cause less frustration. Some of these shapes include vertical lines () , horizontal lines (-) , circles, X, +, and sloping lines like / and \. Activities that involve crossing the body's mid line (like making an X or sloping lines) take practice in order for children to make the shape well without switching hands.
In our handwriting program we used when I taught, we had children strengthen their arm muscles by using chart paper and practicing very large drawing vertical lines (from about their heads to about belly button level).
I did this activity with my toddler the other day. It was very interesting! I also noticed a definite difference in hand strength just by the amount of pressure she was able to put on the paper with her pencil. By the way, I recommend using a pencil or chalk for this activity instead of markers. Pencils and chalk help create drag, so it is an easy way to help strengthen their hand muscles as well (according to the OT at the elementary school where I taught.)


Materials: Chalkboard and chalk or paper and pencils. Large chalkboard (vertical) or chart paper or butcher paper (I use the back of wrapping paper in a pinch).


Prep: Draw dots to be connected in desired On a sheet of paper, draw dots to be connected on the pages. Start with vertical, which may be the easiest for them since they aren't crossing the body's mid line. As they get more proficient, move on to horizontal, sloping, crossing lines, and eventually making shapes (circle, squares, triangles, etc). I wouldn't try to tackle everything in one day, or even one week, unless you are dealing with an older child.

Example of dots in multiple colors to draw vertical lines:

Example for horizontal lines:

Example of lines to be connected to make a square:

Activity:

• Show your child how to connect the dots. Tell them to connect the dots that are the same color. ("Touch the red dot with the pencil. Draw a line from this red dot to the other red dot you see.")
  
• Try this activity on large chart paper or large sheets of wrapping paper or butcher paper, hung up on a wall or easel. The larger the shape, the easier it may be since kids develop muscles closer to the body first.
  

Things to notice:

• Are the lines dark or very light?
  
• Can they draw the line from one dot to another easily?
• Which shapes (vertical, horizontal, sloping, X, etc) are easier? Which are more difficult?
• Are the lines shaky or smooth?
• Can they draw the lines in an unbroken movement, even crossing the body's mid line?
  

This is a great way to get ready for writing and strengthen shoulder, arm, hand, and finger muscles. This activity was tough for my 2 year old, but I've already seen progression as we've practiced. We've been doing it a little each day.
This activity doesn't have to take a long time. I have a piece of chart paper set up on the wall in my kitchen. Each morning with my daughter gets up, she can get a piece of chalk and draw a line from the top to the bottom. Quick, easy, painless, but very beneficial in the long run!

Fall Wreath

Here's a quick and easy craft to do with your kiddos at home. It helps with hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, sorting, patience, sitting skils, and it's really fun!

Above is the finished product of a 2 year old, completed independently.

Ages: As soon as they can stick things down on an already glued surface. For independent work, I'd say 2 years and up.

Materials:

• Leaves (I got fake ones at the local dollar store. I've also seen them at craft stores and Wal-Mart).
• Craft glue (not Elmer's---not enough sticking power)
• Cotton swabs (optional)
• Large black foam sheet

Activity:

1. Cut a large "O" shape out of foam. This is the base of the wreath. Construction paper would work, but it's a bit flimsy.
2. For younger children, cover the top of the foam with the glue. For older children (2+) let them put glue on the individual leaves. I showed my daughter how to stick them on. I covered the wreath base with some glue AND let her glue the leaves on. I wanted to make sure that once the glue dried the leaves really stayed in place.
3. Sort leaves by color if desired. My directions were to cover the base with leaves until she couldn't see any more of the black foam.
4. Hang!

Ice Painting

Painting is always a fun activity for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. I'm not always a huge fan of the mess, though.


My toddler loves to play with ice. She is fascinated by it. When I was looking through The Toddler's Busy Book by Trish Kuffner, I found Ice Cube Painting. I didn't have the recommended tempera paint, nor was I ready to deal with that kind of mess. I also needed a 5-10 minute activity.

So, this is what we came up with:

Materials Needed: Ice cubes (You can even take a Popsicle mold or Ice Cube tray and stick and freeze them with popsicle sticks in them), Paint With Water book, baking sheet with a small lip on it, blanket/towel, small bowl to put ice in.

Directions:

1. Place towel on the floor. For older children this may not be necessary. However, with my toddler, she has to keep this activity on the towel.

2. Put the cookie sheet down, tear out one Paint with Water page.

3. Instead of painting with the paintbrush, let them paint with the ice cube. Have fun!

Shaving Cream Trays

Another great activity for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children is Shaving Cream Trays. We used to do this activity in both Kindergarten and First Grade to practice letter, number, and shape formation. This is a great way to practice fine motor skills. For very young children, it's beneficial to simply practice making straight vertical lines, starting top to bottom. This is a great way to prepare them and strengthen muscles needed for letter formation.

Age Ranges: 1+ (I started around 2, but my daughter likes to put pretty much everything in her mouth)

Supplies Needed: Non-toxic shaving cream (pudding is a good substitution for very small children that might put the shaving cream in their mouth), table or cookie sheet.

Directions:

1. Put a big blob of shaving cream or pudding on the cookie sheet.

2. Show your child how to spread it out to make a drawing surface.

3. Let them draw! Show them how to "erase" and start again.

4. Shaving cream disappears the more they play in it, so eventually it will be gone. It only requires a quick wipe-down of the surface afterwards.

Extensions:

*For older children, call out letters or numbers to write.

*You can do this with your children. On your own cookie sheet, write a letter or number and have them guess.

*This also works for math problems!

This is my daughter at 25 months working on this activity.