Give your child fine motor practice in the sand with this quick and simple activity. It’s failure-free and lots of fun!
- large plastic plate
- sand
- paper
- magic marker
Step 1: Pour a small amount of sand onto the plastic plate.
Step 2: Draw simple shapes or lines on paper for your child to copy.
Step 3: Let your child choose a shape to copy. She can place the shape under the plate or next to the plate, and then try to imitate the shape in the sand. It’s failure-free. If it doesn’t turn out the way she wants it to, she can shake the plate to smooth out the sand and try again!
Give your child the plate and sand and let her explore on her own. Introduce the shapes and lines only after she has had lots of time to explore and become more coordinated in her finger movements.
If your child has mastered copying simple shapes and lines, you can introduce the letters in her name. Print the letters in her first name on cards. See if she can copy the letters in the sand. The important thing is to make this a failure-free practice. If it doesn’t work out, just shake the sand and try again!
