Pipe cleaner fun

Oh how I love Parmesan Cheese Containers!

Whoever designed them was probably not thinking "hey this would be perfect for children to use for fine motor activities when the cheese is gone" when they designed it but it sure ended up a winner! I love that it has a cap that can easily be twisted off, a large opening and smaller openings. Perfect for "grading the activity" to meet your child's needs (as we OTs often say).

For this activity I bought some dollar store (fun and brightly colored) pipe cleaners and cut them in half. Then I put them on the floor and showed Joanna how to put them in the container. As you can see, Joanna holds them with a fisted grasp and rotates her wrist in order to get them in the holes. She hasn't quite developed the dexterity yet to use a pincer grasp but that is what we are currently working on. 

Not only does this activity work on grip and pinch, it also works on hand eye coordination. Joanna was challenged a bit at first to lower her hand down right where the hole was. With more practice she was able to get the pipe cleaner straight in the hole without having to move it around at all once she hit the surface.

Tah Dah!!!

We are also working on bilateral hand use and stabilization which you can see her doing here. This is a skill that takes some practice because you are making the brain work hard to do two different things at once. We tend to forget that something as simple as holding the container while putting a pipe cleaner in can be difficult for young brains and bodies and it does take practice!

So Proud!

This was Joanna's first time playing with pipe cleaners so she found their soft texture quite intriguing! Another great sensory experience! Other things you can use in the parmesan cheese containers: cotton balls, q-tips, puffy craft balls, straws, beads, toothpicks, the possibilities are endless!!!

Here is our next step: pipe cleaners cut into 1 inch pieces and placed in a plastic container with holes in the top. Joanna has not developed the pincer skills yet for this activity. We have tried it but it came with lots of frustration and tears. So for now, its just sitting on the shelf waiting for her to pull it off and give it another shot! No rush!