The Frugal OT Series: Butterflies on a Budget

May’s Dollar Tree Find of the Month: Butterflies on a Budget

Spring is in the air and so are butterflies. Children will enjoy making a cute little colorful bug of their own. Of course, while working on fine motor and visual processing skills.

Materials Needed:

How to Make:

Skills Addressed:

This fun activity addresses the following skill areas:

• pincer grasp and 3 jaw chuck (tripod grasp)
• hand separation
• bilateral coordination
• visual discrimination
• visual sequencing
• visual tracking
• eye-hand coordination
• crossing the midline

Grade Down (Make it Easier)

Have the child place beads onto the pipe cleaner and the adult assists with bending the pipe cleaner as needed to form the butterfly.

Hold the straw or pencil to stabilize it as the child wraps the pipe cleaner to make antennae.

Grade Up (Make it Harder):

Make sequencing and scanning more difficult by placing plenty more beads onto the pipe cleaners.

Build in-hand manipulation skills:

Translation is the ability to move objects from the palm of one’s hand to the fingertips and from the fingertips to the palm. Have the child practice this skill with the beads. Ask the child to grab a handful of beads and move them from the palm to fingertips to put them onto the pipe cleaner.

Disclaimer: 

The Fun Strokes blog is designed for educational and informational use only for teachers, therapists, and parents. It is not intended as medical advice or therapeutic treatment that would be provided in an individualized treatment plan. If you suspect a child has delays, please consult an occupational therapist.