Who knew that making butter could be such a fun motor skills challenge? Try this simple activity and use it as another opportunity to talk to kids about where their food comes from and how it’s made. And excuse this little guy for being in his pajamas, but homemade butter goes great on blueberry muffins for breakfast!
WHAT TO DO: Clean out a small baby food jar and pour in a small amount of heavy cream (the more you use the longer it will take to solidify, so just a little goes a long way). Then…start shaking!
HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-Instruct kids to hold the jar using both hands (to keep it from dropping and to work on midline crossing during the rhyme below).
-Give each child a turn to shake the jar while you say:
We’re making butter!
Here we go!
Shake it fast…(give the child a second to shake the jar fast)
Shake it slow…(give the child a chance to shake the jar slow)
Shake it high…(let him shake it with both hands above his head)
Shake it low…(let him shake it down near his lap)
Shake it side to side and then…(let him shake the jar on either side of his body, holding it with both hands)
Pass it over to your friend! (child passes it to the next person)
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: a clean baby food jar, heavy cream
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: bilateral coordination, endurance, fine motor skills, grasp, coordination, midline crossing, strength
You can find a cute printable version of The Butter Making Song in our Freebies section! Enjoy!
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 above in terms everyone can understand.
