Incy Wincy spider climbed up ...in this case the spider's web... with a few supplies, your preschooler can make their own spider and web!
What do you need?
What do you need to do? For the WEB...
For the SPIDER...
This craft activity is a wonderful way to encourage your preschooler with their fine motor skill development. Involve them in pinching, poking and pulling. Encourage them to use both hands when poking and pulling out the wool. Poking the wool into the colander hole with one hand and pulling out the wool with the other hand is a great way to encourage bilateral coordination. This "Pinch Poke Pull" motion is similar to buttoning up shirts where the button is pinched and poked through a hole with one hand and the other hand pinches the button and pulls it through.
Encourage your preschooler to cut out the circle and punch the holes {the hole punch was a little too hard for my Mr 5}. They can also help to glue the eyes and mouth. Tying the spider's legs is also tricky for little fingers. Mr 5 has been tying up his dressing gown for several months now and we talked about the spider's legs being similar to tying up his dressing gown {only smaller}. This skill is so important when it comes to later learning how to tie shoe laces. You could skip this step completely and sticky tape the legs onto the spider's body if tying the wool is too difficult. 
This spider's web craft is all about the process and not the final product. You can remove the sticky tape, wind up the wool and store it with the spider to do the threading over again. If you want a craft to keep, you could place some holes in a paper plate for the wool to be threaded through. Stick the spider to it when the web is finished. Do you have a preschooler who might enjoy this spider's web activity? 
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Last week I released a visual perception reference sheet. Thank you for your positive feedback! Continuing with visual perception this week, I have put together some of my favourite apps to use in OT sessions for school-age kids! Some of these apps may also be suitable for younger children.
Dexteria VMI by BinaryLabs Inc
Flow Free by Big Duck Games LLC
Pot Smash by Mini Mega Pty Ltd
Symmetry Exercises for Kids by Alexandre Minard
Kids Learning Puzzles:Farm Animals Tangrams for K12 by Swipea Kids Apps
My Mosiac by My First App Ltd
Other recommended apps previously reviewed:
Have you tried any of these apps? What is your favourite "visual perception" app for school age kids?
Note: Dexteria VMI was gifted to Your Kids OT for review. No renumeration was received for review of these apps. All opinions expressed here are my own based on my personal experience and expertise. This article contains affiliate links (although I'm not sure it is actually working).
When reading and applying the strategies in this reference sheet, please keep in mind the following:
To give you a "taste" of what is in the reference sheet, here is the first component of visual perception that I write about. Eye-hand coordination The coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement. This includes the ability to process visual information to guide hand function. Everyday examples where visual perception is needed and potential areas of difficulty.
Strategies to assist.
Visual perception is the process where the brain extracts and organises information, giving meaning to what we see. I am pleased to share with you a new reference sheet that I have been slowly working on for the last 12 months. This is a valuable resource especially for OTs and teachers! I wish I had a copy when I first started out as an OT!
It was a great honour to have some of my fellow therapy bloggers review and edit this reference sheet! Special thanks to Lyn (lynaot), Becca (OT mommy) and Jaime (Miss Jaime OT)! The visual perception reference sheet contains definitions for eight components of visual perception, forty-five every day examples where visual perception is needed and potential areas of difficulty as well as forty-five strategies to assist with visual perception. Over the coming months I will be sharing information about each component area (bite size chunks so it is not too overwhelming). However, if you would like all the information now then please purchase the reference sheet for yourself from the Your Kids OT Shop! 
There are lots of great resources that I am looking forward to sharing with you in the coming weeks to help your child/ren with their visual perceptual skills including a brand new app that has been recently launched. Purchase your copy of the visual perception reference sheet from the Your Kids OT shop or if you prefer you may also purchase this from Teachers Pay Teachers! Let me know what you think! STOP PRESS: Are you following Your Kids OT on Facebook? I'm giving away 20 copies of this reference sheet on Monday 17th (Sydney time)! Be quick! Thank you for your ongoing support!
Also available at our TPT store!
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Breathing can help children {and adults} to regulate their bodies. Breath may affect posture and and behaviour will always be exhibited when a child has difficulty breathing. Some children benefit from quiet, resistive suck and blow activities such as blowing bubbles in slime, sucking up soup through a straw and blowing balloons. Some children benefit from easy-to-blow big noise toys. Other children benefit from oral motor toys which encourage breath to be graded such as a harmonica.**
My favourite oral-motor toy are these animal eye-poppers you see below. Children need to grade their breath so that the eye balls hover just above the eye sockets. This appeals on so many levels to kids {and big kids too}! 
Animal Eye Poppers available from Sensory Tools
The dilemma as a therapist is not being able to use oral motor toys easily between children. Obviously there are hygiene considerations! It is too expensive to buy one for each child I see. When I saw the idea to make your own oral motor toy on Pinterest, I couldn't wait to make it with my OT kids! I have made a few adjustments to the original instructions to encourage some fine motor and visual motor skills in making the toy.
What do you need to do?
1. Cut the small section of the bendy straw in half. 2. Cut the "cut off" piece of straw in half. 3. Place the two small pieces of straw on the foil. 4. Scrunch up the foil, covering the straw pieces, into a small ball. {The small pieces of straw add volume, however keep the ball light}. 
5. Fold the patty pan in half and press down the fold.
6. Fold the patty pan in half again and press down the fold. 7. Open up the patty pan and cut along one fold stopping at the centre. 8. Make a funnel shape with your patty pan and secure with sticky tape. 
9. Make a small cut a the bottom of the funnel shape (enough for the straw to poke through). 10. Place the small section of the straw through the hole in the patty pan. Try to have a minimal amount of straw poking through. 11. Secure the straw with sticky tape. 12. Stretch out the "bendy" section of the straw and you are ready to blow! 
I have been doing this activity with my 1st and 2nd graders at school. I bring the supplies in a small zip lock bag and encourage them to follow the steps. Most of them have needed help with creating the funnel and securing the straw. They have all enjoyed blowing into the straw attempting to grade their breath to keep the ball floating. It takes practise! Mr L shows you in this video how it is done! {If you are reading this in an email, you may need to press the title of this article and view it in an online browser} We can use respiration as a tool to regulate our heart rate and to support attention and focus.** This oral motor toy encourages an aligned postural position to facilitate controlled breathing. As children attempt to float the ball above the straw, their breath is graded and controlled. 
Click to set custom HTML
What is your favourite oral motor toy? Have you made one? 
Note: This article does NOT contain affiliate links. All opinions expressed about products in this article are my own. I have not received any remuneration for this article.
** Gen Jereb's "The Traffic Jam in My Brain" presented 10th April, 2015.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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