At school, teachers are always asking me how to teach kids to open wrappers for their lunch items. My usual response? Practice tearing paper! It’s great for strengthening and bilateral coordination and…it’s just plain fun! Get those Super Fingers to work with this fun Halloween craft for kids!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 1 piece of white paper, crayon or marker, scissors, construction paper (orange, black, green for jack o lantern), glue
WHAT TO DO: Have the child draw a large pumpkin shape on standard white paper with any marker or crayon of their choice. Next, have them cut out their pumpkin shape. Now for the fun part! Have your child tear orange construction paper into small pieces. You may demonstrate how to tear and how big the pieces should be. Once completed, have the child squeeze glue (or use a glue stick for less mess!) to cover the surface of their pumpkin shape. They can then cover their pumpkin shape with the torn pieces of orange construction paper. Repeat the tearing process with black construction paper for the jack o lantern face and green construction paper for the stem. Tell them to tear out 2 eyes, a nose, and a spooky or happy mouth.
HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-For this activity, you can always eliminate steps that may be too difficult. Try having a pre-cut pumpkin pattern available, or let the adult be in charge of the glue.
-The type of paper you use for tearing will also determine the degree of difficulty. Construction paper would be the easier than cardstock or poster board.
-Tear paper to make other Halloween pictures from black cats to ghosts!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Bilateral coordination, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, strength, visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills
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