These creative activities are an exciting way to work on fine motor control, eye-hand coordination, visual tracking, gross motor skills, strength and body awareness. These do not require any prep, and very few materials are needed, so they can be played anywhere.

1. Spaghetti cleaners:

Take a colander and place it upside down. Take colored pipe cleaners in different sizes and have your child place the colored pipe cleaners through the holes of the colander. If that is too challenging for your child, you can place them in the holes and have your child pull them out.

2. Towel course:

Using a traditional beach or bath towel, you can make challenging obstacle courses. Gather four towels and roll them into logs. Place them two feet apart and create an agility ladder. Have your child jump, skip, leap, side-step over them. You can also connect the towels to form a “balance beam” so your child can work on balance while walking across the beam. They can walk forward, sideways and backwards along the beam. You can increase the difficulty by placing toys on the floor next to the beam for them to squat and pick up while they are balancing on the beam.

3. Cup hockey:

This is a fun game to play with a partner. Your child can play with a friend, a sibling, or an adult. Take two cups (Solo cups are best) and a small ping pong ball. The two players should sit opposite each other with their legs open in a “V.” Each player gets one cup and places it upside down. One player starts by placing the ball under the cup and using the cup to slide and shoot the ball to his/her opponent. The other player catches the ball in his/her cup. The two players continue to send the ball back and forth and try to catch the ball with their cup each time. If one player misses the ball, his/her opponent gets a point.

The Therapy Gym, owned by Dr. Elisheva Fuchs, is the leading pediatric therapy center in Bergen County. The Therapy Gym provides physical, occupational, speech, behavioral and aquatic therapy as well as many classes for kids. Only the best, most highly skilled and trained therapists work at the gym to help each child reach his or her potential. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s development, call The Therapy Gym at 201-357-0417 or email [email protected]. You can also follow The Therapy Gym on Instagram and Facebook to learn more tips.