I grew up on a farm and I can’t think of a day when I didn’t hear my mom say, “Girls, there is a load of laundry to hang out”. I didn’t often have the luxury of sitting around for hours watching Saturday morning cartoons. There was work to be done! Now I can appreciate that some of that work can be made into fun gross motor and fine motor activities for kids that are beneficial too! WHAT YOU'LL NEED: A clothesline or piece of string, clothespins, clothing items or doll clothes. WHAT TO DO: String a piece of rope or a Dollar Store clothesline between two trees or even two chairs if you ... Read More about FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: HANGING OUT THE WASH
FUN ON THE FARM: GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Looking for games and activities for kids related to the farm? Check out a few of our favorites: 1 Yoga Yingo: Developed by a pediatric occupational therapist, Yoga Yingo games are played like Bingo. The sets contain 12 game boards, a set of pose cards (all farm themed!), and instructions for modifying the poses based on skill level. 2 Haba On the Farm Threading Game: Farm themed beads with laces that are easy for little fingers to manage. Follow the same patterns and sequences shown on the picture cards, or encourage kids to make their own! 3 Melissa & Doug Farm Maze Wooden ... Read More about FUN ON THE FARM: GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
SENSORY ACTIVITIES: HANDS ON FARM EXPLORATION
If you want a child to come away from an experience with a memory of it, then let them touch it. There are so many ways children learn...by seeing, hearing, smelling, moving, and by touching. In a world where our kids so frequently hear, “don’t touch that,” this tactile sensory activities allow them to do what they are meant to do….EXPLORE WITH THEIR HANDS! The farm offers so many great tactile experiences, why not bring them right to the kids? These hands on activities can last for a day, or for a whole week! WHAT YOU'LL NEED: Large storage bin with lid, items of your choice from options ... Read More about SENSORY ACTIVITIES: HANDS ON FARM EXPLORATION
Kids and Grasping Skills
Learn more about how to promote grasping skills for kids! Grasp Patterns There are two sides to every hand, a power side and a precision side. A power grasp uses all of the fingers and the thumb together to hold something using counter pressure. This takes strength. Some examples of using a power grasp include holding onto monkey bars, pounding with a toy hammer, or playing tug of war with a rope. A precision grasp uses only three fingers that are known for control and coordinating small movements of the hand. These fingers are the thumb, first, and middle fingers...or, as we call ... Read More about Kids and Grasping Skills
OUR FAVORITE FARM-THEMED KIDS BOOKS
Looking for great kids books about the farm and farm animals? Check out a few of our favorites! 1 Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw: A super cute and funny rhyming story about the adventures of five sheep as they go for a cruise in their jeep 2 Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown: With Brown’s familiar gentle tone, this book takes kids on a tour around a farm while giving kids exposure to concepts like size, colors, and directions 3 Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton: This one is perfect for kiddos who like to move! Read the clever, witty lines while the kids follow along with the ... Read More about OUR FAVORITE FARM-THEMED KIDS BOOKS
Pigs in the Pen Balloon Activity for Kids
The challenge of this fun and engaging balloon activity is to get the pigs in the pen AND get them to stay put! Uh oh...the pigs got out! How will we ever round them back up? How about a game of paddle ball? The challenge of this game is to get the pigs in the pen AND get them to stay put! Add this game to your list of farm activities for kids! What you'll need: -Balloons with pig and other animal faces draw on them -A "pen" (laundry basket, box, a group of chairs put together into a square, designated corner of a room), paddles What to do: Dig up some paddles from the garage ... Read More about Pigs in the Pen Balloon Activity for Kids
Apple Orchard Game for Gross Motor Skills Development
Movement games are a great way to work on gross motor skills development. This apple orchard game is a fun fall-themed activity that can appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities. Have you ever taken your kiddos apple picking? I have to admit, it’s something we haven’t done yet. I can just picture all of those apples being thrown into the baskets without a second thought...by the time we got home, we would have applesauce! :) These movement activities for kids will be a challenge: to get apples safely into the baskets without using their hands! If they get good enough at it, try ... Read More about Apple Orchard Game for Gross Motor Skills Development
FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: ANT FARM
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 ... Read More about FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: ANT FARM