Ok, so maybe ants aren’t the first thing you imagine when thinking of life on the farm. But, you’ll find them crawling all over the crops and animals, constantly in motion attempting to bring a morsel of food back into their own farmhouse in the ground. This activity is simple and repetitive. Repetitive crafts and fine motor skill activities for kids can be very calming and organizing…when I did this with my kids, there was not a peep heard because they were focusing so hard on their work! This would be great to add to your stash of preschool or kindergarten activities.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Paper, black marker, black beans, glue
WHAT TO DO: Talk a bit about ant farms, and what one might look like. Describe how the ants dig tunnels that zigzag back and forth as they move deeper underground. Give each child a piece of paper and a black marker. Allow them to draw their own ant tunnel (a zigzag line across the paper). You may want to show them an example of one you have already drawn. Once their ant farm has been created, it’s time to add some ants! Watch those little fingers get moving and those eyes start tracking as the kids place dried black beans along the black line! Have the child squeeze a line of liquid glue from start to finish on their line. Then have them place their “ants” in a row one after another.
HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-The straighter the lines, the easier the activity.
-If a child is having difficulty drawing curved lines on the paper, you may want to jump in to assist! Or, try giving kids who are struggling a paper with the ant tunnel already drawn.
-Once the beans are all glued on, let kids add legs to their beans with marker or colored pencil!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: fine motor skills, grasp, midline crossing, prewriting skills, visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills
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.
[…] – Ant Farm Craft – Kids get to create their own ant farm with this fun craft, with some great Super Fingers […]