Fine Motor Fun with Q-tips!

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My name is Cindy and I  have a problem!

​I'm not the only one with this problem. 

It seems that it is an occupational hazard.

Yes, it is hoarding ... or collecting... or keeping things "just in case"... 

My colleague Regina from Cotalife describes a hoarder as "a person who carefully guards an accumulation for future use".  (I like it!)

I like to think of it as responsible recycling, re-purposing... upcycling!
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Over on Instagram, I recently started a new series called "I'm not a hoarder... I'm an OT!"  Q-tips were my first in the series!

​Q-tips (or cotton buds) in Australia  are widely sold in supermarkets and are such a fun way to encourage a pincer grasp (pinch between two fingers), a tripod grasp (thumb, index and third finger with an open webspace) or a lateral pinch (thumb laying across the index finger). 

OTs use Q-tips all the time to help with the development of fine motor skills and to provide novelty into their OT sessions. I have recently started to cut my Q-tips in half which I find even better than using the whole Q-tip sometimes!  Kids can stabilise the Q-tip without it bending and can also place it so that they open up the webspace (between the thumb and index finger). 

​Here are my top 10 ways to use Q-tips!
1.  Dot painting or stamping.  Read more about Q-tip stamping here. 
2.  Q-tip painting. 
3.  Draw on a chalk board. Make sure there is some chalk dust residue.
4.  Water painting on a chalk board. Trace over chalk drawing or water paint directly onto a chalky board. 
5. Threading/lacing. Use pony beads or even bread bag ties to practice simple threading/lacing skills. 
6.  Pattern copying and shape making.  Use the Q-tips to make simple shapes (squares, triangles, rectangles, octagons, etc) or make pictures (eg. houses, rockets, televisions, etc) or simple patterns (eg. zig zag, castle, etc).
7. Post/poke them.  Use the Q-tips to poke into the holes of an upturned kitchen colander, old spice jar, styrofoam block or egg carton.
8. Make a marble (or pom pom) maze using Q-tips as the walls. Try sticking the Q-tips onto contact paper to make the maze. Use paper along the trail so that the marble has a smooth surface to travel along. 
9. Poke Q-tips into playdough (eg. add arms and legs to playdough people, add spider's legs, add spikes to a porcupine, add feathers for a turkey).
10. CRAFT! I know this isn't very specific but there are so many great Q-tip craft ideas out there.  You can find one for any season or theme you are working on.  Check out my Pinterest Board for some amazing Q-tip craft ideas!

Do you love Q-tip dot painting (or stamping)?

Be sure to check out my latest printable resource! Alphabet dot pictures has been a labour of love.  Every single dot was hand placed (electronically) by me and this resource has been a long time in the making!  Each letter of the alphabet (capital letter and lower case) comes with two dot pictures. Use a Q-tip to paint each individual dot or join the dots together like a traditional dot-to-dot picture.   

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​I have to say .... things that you can buy in bulk are very easy to hoard! (LOL) 

​Are you a hoarder? I mean ...are you dedicated to recycling, upcycling and re-purposing?  What do you collect?  

What are your favourite ways to use Q-tips?
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Cindy is a registered Occupational Therapist practising in Sydney Australia.  She has two young children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
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The information on this site is general in nature. 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.

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