Preparation Needed: Cut bubble wrap into sections for each child.

Materials Needed: Bubble wrap

Procedure: Pinch the bubble wrap to make it pop. (This helps develop muscles needed for writing).

Follow Up: You can also blow bubbles and pop for an outdoor activity.

Guidance Suggestions: Have children take turns blowing the bubbles.

Preparation Needed: Buy a package of cotton balls and clothespins

Materials Needed: Cotton balls or pompoms, clothespins and containers

Procedure: Demonstrate for children how to open a clothespin. Next use it to pick up a cotton ball and place it into a container.

Follow Up: Have children count the items they pick up. If you use pompoms you can sort them by size or color.

Guidance Suggestions: Watch children to keep them from pinching each others fingers with the clothespins.

Preparation Needed: Collect the right materials.

Materials Needed: A plastic baby wipes container and lids from old juice bottles.

Procedure: Have children put the lids into the container. Demonstrate that they may have to rotate their wrist to make the lids fit inside.

Follow Up: Use different colored lids to practice sorting.

Guidance Suggestions: Use a container with a bigger opening if toddlers become frustrated.

Preparation Needed: Have children wear smocks. Put some paint on the paper plates. Set out sponges.

Materials Needed: Tempera paint, smocks or big old shirts, sponges, paper and paper plates

Procedure: Show children how to use their fingers to draw on the paper. Dip a sponge in paint for a design.

Follow Up: Use other objects to help you paint. For example cotton balls, paint brushes, stencils or sponge rollers.

Guidance Suggestions: Have children clean the sponges before washing their hands.

Preparation Needed: Cut string into pieces.

Materials Needed: Pieces of string and beads

Procedure: Give children string and a pile of beads.

Follow Up: Use alphabet beads to spell the children’s names.

Guidance Suggestions: Use bigger beads and string for toddlers.

Preparation Needed: Put about ½ a cup of shampoo and some glitter in a bag and seal it. Then double bag it just in case the first one breaks.

Materials Needed: 2 large storage bags, shampoo and glitter

Procedure: Show children how the glitter moves when you push on the shampoo.

Follow Up: Have children draw designs and lines on the bag.

Guidance Suggestions: Give each child their own bag or provide another activity so they do not have to wait for a turn.

Preparation Needed: Buy or make some play dough (Recipe for play dough: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water and food coloring)

Materials Needed: Play dough and scissors

Procedure: Have children make “snakes” with the play-doh. Then use scissors to cut them into sections.

Follow Up: Give the children cardstock paper with simple designs drawn on it to practice cutting on a line. Cardstock is thicker and less flexible than regular paper.

Guidance Suggestions: Remember that children learn to use scissors in stages. Younger children may use both hands to manipulate the scissors or hold them upside-down.

Preparation Needed: Set out ice cube tray filled with water, eye droppers, markers, trays with filters inside

Materials Needed: Regular big markers (not the washable kind), coffee filters, water, trays, ice cube tray and eye droppers or syringe

Procedure: Color the coffee filter completely. Put it in the tray. Fill an eye dropper with water. Next let the water out onto the filter. The colors will run together. Set out to dry.

Follow Up: You can use different kinds of paper and food coloring instead of markers for older children.

Guidance Suggestions: Put markers at one end of the table and water at the other. Stay with the children using water.

Preparation Needed: Put toys, papers and pencils in the middle of the table.

Materials Needed: Some toy bowls, plates, blank papers and pencils

Procedure: Let children draw around the objects. They can trace around their hands or feet too.

Follow Up: Give older children a picture from a coloring book and a blank piece of paper on top of it. Have them copy the picture onto the blank paper. (If you tape it onto a window the sun will help children see through the blank page).

Guidance Suggestions: Make sure there is enough materials and space for everyone to draw at the same time.

Preparation Needed: Find objects like purses that zip or snap closed. Wash containers before using.

Materials Needed: Objects that have a zipper and containers with screw top lids

Procedure: Give the children the objects. Have them practice opening and closing the objects.

Follow Up: Give children more difficult objects like a jacket or shoe laces to tie if they are old enough.

Guidance Suggestions: If a child is having difficulty, demonstrate how to do it or give them something easier to use.