5 FUN VALENTINE’S DAY MOTOR ACTIVITIES

5 Fun Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Activities!

How many of you volunteer to help out at class parties?  I can tell you that Pam and I both have grade schoolers now and we are the ones planning these parties ALL the time.  WHY?  Because we know how to rock the games and crafts! :)  I will tell you that thinking up games for my daughter’s third grade party last year was a bit of a challenge.  What do you do with elementary school-aged kids for Valentine’s Day?  They are waaaay too cool for cut and paste activities.  We had to put on our therapist thinking caps for this one.  And when we did, we realized that kids at this age LOVE to move.  We decided that Minute to Win It style was the way to go.  Here are 5 fun Valentine’s Day motor activities using conversation hearts!

1.  Have a relay race to stack those little hearts up.  Be sure kids are using their Superfingers!  How high can they get their stacks?
2.  Put a handful of conversation hearts into Ziplock baggies and use the side of a pencil like a rolling pin to crush them up.  Which team can fill up a cup with heart dust first?
3.  Challenge kids to balance a heart on their nose and walk it to the other side of the room.  They’ll need to show off perfect posture for this one!
4.  Have kids use a straw to suck up a conversation heart so that it sticks to the end!  Pass it to another friend who must take it from the end of your straw and put it on theirs, relay style.
5.  Have kids use tweezers to pick up one conversation heart at a time to fill a small cup or container.

SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Fine motor skills, grasp, oral motor skills, strength, bilateral coordination

Want to take a closer look at the skills kids are using in this activity?  Check out our Clinical Closeup page, where we break down the skills listed below in terms everyone can understand.

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Lauren Drobnjak

Lauren Drobnjak is co-author of The Inspired Treehouse blog and a pediatric physical therapist who currently practices in the educational environment. She has been a physical therapist for 18 years, with 17 of those years specifically in pediatrics. Her drive to make a difference in the lives of kids has led her entrepreneurial spirit in the direction of creating opportunities for play-based wellness and child development. She is a busy mama of 3 who thrives on chaos. To come down from the stress, Lauren enjoys exercising like she’s still 20, yoga, chocolate, a great book, browsing Pinterest, and anything crafty!

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