The Frugal OT Series: Sock Bunnies

April’s Dollar Tree Activity of the Month: Sock Bunnies

Spring is here and Easter is just around the corner. This simple, no-sew craft is just so adorable. It makes for a great spring or Easter decoration, an Easter basket stuffer, or a wonderful gift for parents or grandparents. The sock bunny can also double as a fidget tool. Children can squeeze and squish the rice in the bunny to get the proprioceptive input they need to self-regulate. If you plan to use the sock bunny in this way, I suggest you use extra elastic bands to make it more sturdy. A great way to celebrate spring and/or Easter while working on fine motor skills. Perfect to do during therapy sessions, as a class, and/or at home. All the supplies can be gathered for pennies on the dollar at your local Dollar Tree.

Skills Addressed:

• bilateral coordination
• eye-hand coordination
• proprioceptive awareness
• fine motor strengthening
• grasping skills (pincer and 3-jaw chuck or tripod)
• spatial awareness
• executive functioning skills (focus attention, remember multi-step directions, initiate and follow through with the task)

How To Make Sock Bunnies:

It is always helpful to present the child with a model so that they can see what you expect them to do.

• Place the sock in the glass.
• Fold the opening of the sock over the rim of the glass.
• Pour about 1 cup of rice into the measuring cup.
• Pour the rice into the sock.
• Secure the rice by placing an elastic band on the sock.
• Create the bunny’s head by pushing some of the rice to the top creating two sections.
• On the bunny’s back, pinch a small amount of rice to form a little tail and secure it with an elastic.
• Cut the excess fabric from the top.
• Create the ears by cutting the fabric down the middle.
• Draw a cute little face.
• Tie a bow around the bunnies neck. 

Done!

How To Offer the “Just Right” Challenge:

Grade Down (Make it Easier)

For younger or less skilled children:

• The adult places the elastic band on the sock bunny first. The child attempts to place an additional elastic band over top.
• Pour the rice out of the bag and into a smaller container to make it easier for the child to manage when measuring.
• Instead of making a bow with the ribbon, simply tie a knot.
• Draw the face in pencil and have the child trace over it with a marker.
• Glue googly eyes instead of drawing them.

Grade Up (Make it Harder):

For older or more skilled children:

• Add more embellishments.
• Draw more elaborate facial features.  

Looking for more spring and/or Easter Fun?

“Easter Egg Match” Memory Game

An Easter-themed Classic!  Memory Game!  Kids love the challenge of trying to remember where the matching pair is.  This activity builds many visual-perceptual and visual-motor skills:

• Visual discrimination
• Position in Space
• Visual Scanning
• Visual Tracking
• Visual Memory

Objective?  Fill your basket with as many matching pairs as you can. I added a few pom-pom pairs to mix it up a bit.  Collecting the pairs in Easter baskets just adds more holiday fun to the game.  Grab these cute little foam eggs at your local Dollar Tree.

Also, check out these budget-friendly activities from my Frugal OT series:

Egg-cellent Fine Motor Fun

Butterflies on a Budget

As always, have fun!

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.