There are so many fun ways to integrate your senses and fine motor skills into play. Here are a couple of activities you can do with your child of any age that they will enjoy and get many benefits from, including working on pincer grasp, proximal joint stabilization, sensory integration and hand-eye coordination, to name a few.

1. Frozen painting: Take an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with colors of washable paint of your choice and a few drops of water in each cube. Place a popsicle stick in each cube. Freeze in the freezer for two to four hours. When frozen, pop each cube out of the tray. The fun begins! Your child can color with the paint cube on paper or even as it melts, they can finger paint with it and make a beautiful picture. This project is best to do outside in a bathing suit so your child can be hosed down after.

2. Slimy spaghetti: Cook one box of spaghetti (best to use thick spaghetti). Once pasta is drained, divide it into three bowls. Choose three colors of food coloring and color each pasta bowl a different color. After the pasta is the color of your choice, mix one teaspoon of oil into each bowl. Now, combine all the colored pasta into one big bowl. Your child can have fun playing with the pasta strands and digging in. You can also play a game where your child has to use their pincer grasp to take a certain number of strands of each colored pasta out of the bowl and place in another bowl.

We will be doing activities like these, and more, in our summer therapeutic program at The Therapy Gym this summer for 2.5- to 3.5-year-olds. Call to inquire!

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 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.