Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards Purpose: for the child to build their fine motor control and coordination Level of Parent Involvement: Low, once modelled the child may work independently Prerequisites None Materials A packet of various sized locks with their matching keys (The Reject Shop, Kmart and other $2-dollar shops have got packets of […]
Wrapping a present
Recommended Age: 4 and ½ to 6 years Purpose: To give the child a practical life skill which they will use in everyday scenarios (birthdays, Christmas etc) Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the adult must present this exercise to the child for the first time, then the child may work independently Prerequisites The child must have […]
Carrying liquids on a tray
Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards Purpose: for the child to build their control and coordination of movement Level of Parent Involvement: Low, mainly modelling and supervision Prerequisites The child must be able to carry a tray level The child must be able to carry a tray with objects Materials A small tray A small […]
Screws and screwdriver practice
Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards Purpose: to build the child’s fine motor control and coordination Level of Parent Involvement: Low once the child is working with the material, mostly preparation of the activity Prerequisites None Materials A piece of timber around 20 cm in length and around 5 cm thick 5-6 screws A small […]
Fruit skewers
Recommended Age: 3 to 5 years Purpose: to give the child a wide variety of experiences in food preparation Level of Parent Involvement: Low, mainly supervision Prerequisites None Materials Skewers A selection of fruit (banana’s, strawberries etc) Chopping board Children’s knife Apron (optional) Preparation None Steps Invite the child, letting them know that they […]
Finger nail scrubbing
Recommended Age: 3 to 5 years Purpose: to give the child practical life skills to care for themselves Level of Parent Involvement: Low, after the adult has modelled this exercise the child may work independently Prerequisites None Materials A medium sized bowl A small jug A nail brush A small bar of soap Soap pad […]
Grating vegetables
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 5 years Purpose: To expose the child to various food preparation skills necessary for independent work in cooking Level of Parent Involvement: Low, the adult must model the exercise for the child and provide supervision whilst the child is doing the activity Prerequisites None Materials Small chopping board Small square […]
Button Sewing
Recommended Age: 4 and ½ years and onwards Purpose: for the child to build fine motor control and coordination through using a sewing needle. This exercise also teaches the child a practical real-life skill which they can apply in real scenarios for example if a button comes off an item of their clothing Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the […]
Transferring with tweezers
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 3 and ½ years Purpose: To build fine motor control and coordination and to strengthen the muscles in the child’s fingers and hand. Level of Parent Involvement: Low, the adult must model the exercise for the child, once modelled the child may work independently. Prerequisites The child must be able […]
Transferring water with a sponge
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 3 and ½ years Purpose: For the child to build strengthen the muscles in their hands through squeezing the sponge (indirectly preparing the child for writing) Level of Parent Involvement: Low, the adult must model the exercise for the child then the child may work independently. Prerequisites None Materials 2 small […]
Sewing cards
In Class Presentation Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards Purpose: For the child to further develop their fine motor skills and concentration Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the adult must present the exercise to the child, then low supervision is required Prerequisites The child must have some degree of fine motor control in manipulating an instrument (the […]
Shoe polishing
Recommended Age: 3 and ½ to 4 years Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, this exercise requires the adult to work with the child during the initial presentation, once the child has been shown they may complete the exercise independently with low supervision Prerequisites The child must have a reasonable level of control and coordination of movement […]
Flower arranging
Recommended Age: 4 to 5 years Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, this exercise requires the adult to work with the child during the initial presentation, once the child has been shown they may complete the exercise independently with low supervision Prerequisites The child must have a good level of concentration The child must be able to […]
Sweeping
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 4 years Level of Parent Involvement: Medium for the first presentation, then low-none after the child has been shown, they can sweep independently Prerequisites None Materials Broom Dust pan and brush Small box filled with pot pourri (refilled as needed) or small pieces of coloured scrap paper cut up […]
Table washing
Recommended Age: 3 to 4 years Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, this exercise requires the adult to work with the child during the initial presentation, once the child has been shown they may complete the exercise independently with low supervision and providing assistance with spills if necessary Prerequisites The child should have had some experience in pouring […]
Dusting
Recommended Age: Level of Parent Involvement: Medium for the first presentation, then low-none after the child has been shown, they can dust independently Prerequisites None Materials Dust cloths Tray/basket Shaped dusting brushes (for variation) Preparation Fold the dusting cloths (In half then half again) Place the dusting cloths in the tray/basket Steps […]
Threading beads
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 4 years Level of Parent Involvement: Low, the initial presentation requires the adult to demonstrate, once demonstrated this can be an activity available on the child’s shelf which they may practice independently Prerequisites None Materials A shoe lace with plastic tips at either end A selection of […]
Hand washing
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ years and onwards Level of Parent Involvement: High during the initial presentation, you must stay with the child to show them each step, once the child has been shown and the activity is set up for the child, they may repeat the activity independently Prerequisites The child should have […]
Orange Squeezing
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ years and onwards When the child begins this exercise as a 2 and ½ year old it is reasonable to expect that they may struggle to complete the exercise from start to finish. The young child doing this exercise is building their concentration through a sequence of steps, it will […]
Pouring water
Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 3 and ½ years Level of Parent Involvement: Low, this presentation is quite short, then once presented to the child the child may work independently Prerequisites None Materials 2 identical jugs (one containing water 2 thirds full) Small sponge or cloth for wiping up spills Tray Preparation Fill […]