Reading by 9: How children can practice fine motor skills with rubber bands, toys and imagination
Rubber bands and toy animals can make for an engaging activity for a child to practice fine motor skills.
(Reading by 9)
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This activity will help your child work their fine motor skills and build imagination. It can be repeated using the same materials and creates no waste or mess.
What you will need:
- Rubber bands
- Plastic toy animals
What to do:
- Start the activity by wrapping rubber bands around the plastic animals. Do not wrap the rubber bands too tight because you do not want them to snap. To make the activity more challenging, use more than one rubber band on each animal. Wrap the rubber band between the animal’s ears and legs.
- Next, challenge your child to rescue the animals and get the rubber bands off.
- Ask your child to narrate how they are rescuing the animals and how the animals got trapped. Be sure to watch the rubber bands so none get lost or swallowed.
Alternate scissor skills practice:
Instead of wrapping rubber bands around the animals, cut thin strips of paper, wrap around the animals a few times, and secure with tape.
Have your child cut the paper with scissors to free the animals.
Check out more of L.A. County Library’s Activity Ideas for Kids.