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The summer is in full swing, and that usually means a lot of time spent with family and friends! If you are having a party this season, consider offering some fun independent motor activities for your little guests to do. They can enjoy working on motor skills (shhh…..don’t tell them!) and having fun, while you can enjoy your party and not have a huge mess to clean up at the end of the night.
4 INDEPENDENT Motor Activities for Little Party Guests
In honor of American Independence day, today I’d like to share with you my top 4 motor activities that little ones can do INDEPENDENTLY….perfect for your 4th of July party, or just a summer BBQ. All of these activities are designed to be easy for children to work independently.
I highly recommend investing in a storage system for independent motor activities like this. I love using clear storage tubs for each activity so that your child can easily see what is in each box. Storing the bins in an area that is accessible for your child is important, too. If you are having a party you may want to have the activities all set up. Or you may want to just have bins out with various options available.
Play dough
I know, I know, I’ve suggested this before! However, play dough is SO amazing for motor skills, and it’s super versatile. Working with play dough helps strengthen hand muscles and develop control of the fingers. In honor of Independence Day, why not pre-make your dough red, white, and blue, and add in some star-shaped cookie cutters? Little ones can have fun creating patriotic designs, and you won’t have a big mess to deal with afterward! If you want to send the little ones home with party favors, try these mini play dohs!
Cereal Necklaces
Stringing objects is great for hand-eye coordination and finger strength. If you have a box of Cheerios and some string, you’ve got a quick and easy activity for little ones to create. Consider buying Fruit Loops or another colorful cereal, or dye your Cheerios using food dye! You can also use any tube-shaped pasta. I recommend some heavy duty string that is easy for little hands to manipulate. For the littlest hands, pipe cleaners are easier than string.
Outdoor Water Balloon Toss
If you are enjoying time outside during your summer party, set up a fun water balloon toss. Water balloon games are great for coordination and gross motor skill development. Fill balloons ahead of time (try these self-sealing balloons to save time and hassle) and put them in a big bucket, then set up a few other buckets for kids to try to toss the balloons into. Or, bigger kids can try tossing the balloons to each other! Just make sure to supply some towels, too!
Water Table
This is another good one to set up outside! Kids love playing with water. There are several tools that you can provide along WITH the water that will help them develop important motor skills. Water play encourages the development of hand-eye coordination, and pouring, squeezing, and stirring also help build those little hand and finger muscles! You can either use a big bin on the ground for this activity, or set up supplies on a table. Include a big bowl of water, small pitchers and cups, sponges, syringes or water droppers, squeezy bottles, and various sizes of spoons. I love this mix and measure set from Amazon, but you can always just use things you have around your kitchen! You could even have colored water to make things more interesting!
*Special Note:
When in party situations, it is really easy to compare your child to other children. Please remember that all children develop at their own pace. Just because Suzy’s daughter can easily string a necklace of cereal at age 3 doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your child if he can’t. Resist the urge to compare. Instead celebrate where your child is, and encourage other parents to do that as well. As always, if you do have concerns about your child’s development and would like to set up a free consultation to discuss your concerns, please reach out! I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
Have you tried any of these independent motor activities? Or, do you have other fun activities to share? If so, please join us in our FREE Facebook community to share!
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