Recommended ages: 2- and 3-year-olds
Helping your child practice hand-eye coordination and motor skills doesn’t have to be complicated. Try this activity with your little one – you only need two items!
Start by stuffing a whisk with cotton balls (or even small crumpled pieces of paper).
Show your child how to hold the whisk in one hand. Then, grasp a cotton ball with the other hand using your thumb and one or two fingers.
After you demonstrate the activity, it’s your child’s turn to try it. Hold onto the whisk and encourage her to pull out a cotton ball. “Can you grab a cotton ball? Pull it out. Good job – can you pull out another one?”
When she’s ready to use both hands, let her hold the whisk. If she sets the whisk down to grab a cotton ball, let her do so for a while. Then encourage her to hold the whisk with the other hand.
Note: Supervise your child closely, as cotton balls can be a choking hazard. Store the cotton balls out of reach when your child is finished with the activity.