When I think of the 4th of July, along with the colors red, white, and blue, I think of stars! Stars are so patriotic and fun! They are on our flag, in the beautiful night sky, and given to our children when they do something great at school. As an OT, I love practicing drawing stars with my kids. One of the best fine motor activities I can think of: motor planning how to draw diagonal and straight lines and working on accurately starting and stopping the pencil at the right points. Print out the template below to help your child draw a star. Then, read on to get ideas for some creative fine motor practice for your child using his star!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Star template, pencil/crayons/or markers
OPTIONAL: glitter glue, scissors, paper, watercolor paints and paintbrush
WHAT TO DO: Print out the star template. Have your child trace the top star for practice. Then, have him practice connecting the dots on the star below. Now can he draw his very own star? Once he has mastered connecting the dots or drawing his own star, let him continue the fun with some more ideas below!
HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-Can your child trace over his star using glitter glue?
-Can he use scissors to cut out the star, staying on the lines?
-Once he cuts out his star, can he trace around it onto another piece of paper to make a second star?
-Can he color his star, staying inside the lines?
-Can he paint his star with watercolors?
-Try stringing several stars together for a 4th of July banner!
-Glue 2 stars back to back over the tip of a straw to create a 4th of July wand!
-Hide several stars around the house for a quick game of patriotic hide and seek!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Fine motor skills, grasp, motor control, prewriting skills, visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills
Looking for more patriotic fun? Check out our favorite Memorial Day activities for kids all would be perfect for 4th of July too!
[…] kids in a relay race style or with just one child! Same rules, same result! -If your child cannot draw stars, it’s okay….any little mark will do! Again, we are going for the concept, not perfection -If […]