Packing Peanuts and Pipe Cleaners Fine Motor Play

  Kay said her leg hurt. Now whether it really did or she was just pretending, I don't know. But whatever the case, she refused to walk on it for awhile. Chances are she really did pull something while she was ice skating (she ice skates now!) so I put the heating pad on it. Only now we needed something to do to pass the time that didn't involve T.V.

  I pulled out some packing peanuts I had been saving for a moment just like this and some colorful pipe cleaners. I added our EZPaints and some scissors and told her she could make whatever she wanted. I imagined sculptures and creatures. She envisioned: a necklace for Heart Bear (the stuffed bear with hearts, of course!). Our minds do not think alike! But I liked how she took her own idea and went with it.

  She threaded the packing peanuts onto the pipe cleaners, then painted them. Next she got to cutting the pipe cleaners, which was harder than she expected but was a good challenge for her little hand muscles. She also liked cutting the peanuts.

  When creating time was over (and her foot was magically better - the wonder of packing peanuts!) we had  little pieces of Styrofoam all over the rug. But they were easily picked up, especially with my now-recovered helper!

Also check out these fine motor ideas:

                                 Paper Bag Luminary (Craftulate) 
                  10+ Fine Motor Name Activities (School Time Snippets)


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