DIY PAPER UMBRELLAS

April showers bring May… where the heck are the flowers?

Is it just me, or are you guys getting a little bored at home with all this rain! Here is the perfect indoor activity to do with your little ones. Rainy days call for DIY PAPER UMBRELLAS. This craft requires a few inexpensive supplies that you may have at home and if not you can find them at your local dollar store!

SUPPLIES:

Construction paper
Coffee Filters (You can also use cupcake liners)
Pipe Cleaners
Tape
Glue
Scissors
Markers

I have noticed that Aliza has been scared of all the thunder outside. This activity gave me the opportunity to distract her from the loud thunder and teach her about rain, thunder and lightening. She now understands what an umbrella is used for when it rains! ALRIGHT!

The first step is coloring your coffee filters or cupcake liners! I put the coffee filter on top of a piece of construction paper and taped both ends of the filter to the paper. I also taped the paper to the table in order for it to stay in place. This allows for more stability while your little one colors.

GRASP DEVELOPMENT IN BABIES AND TODDLERS

As your child grows, you will notice they hold crayons and markers in different ways. The way your child holds their coloring utensil will depends on the strength of their shoulder and arm muscles.

Stages of Pencil Grasp:

Palmar grasp: Once your child has gained a little bit more control in their shoulder and arm muscles, they will start holding the utensil with their fingers. WOOHOO! The hand is usually facing downward with the utensil lying across the palm of their hand.

Static Tripod or Quadrupod Grasp: This occurs around 3 ½- 4 years old. Your child will start to hold the writing utensil with 3 or 4 fingers. A tripod grasp is when they hold the utensil with their index finger, middle finger and thumb and quadruped grasp when they add the use of their ring finger. Coloring movement is now initiated from the wrist!

Dynamic Tripod grasp: THIS IS WHAT US CRAZY THERAPIST PEOPLE STRIVE FOR! That tripod grasp! This typically occurs around 4-6 years old. Fingers will move independently allowing for controlled drawing.

Now that your pretty much an expert on the three most common grasps, get to coloring!! Once they finish coloring the liners, have them decorate the construction paper with grass and raindrops! We made our own raindrops but if you want to be really crafty use these BINGO BLOTTERS. Bingo blotters are bottles of ink that are great for crafts and do make perfect raindrops! We added a little 3D flower to our paper just for fun!

Once your little one has completed their masterpiece its time to glue. Fold the liners in half and add a little glue to one side and place it on your construction paper. Let your little one play with some glue! This is great for sensory and a great texture for them to get familiar with!

To finish, add your pipe cleaners! I cut about 2 inches off the top and stuck it through the center of the liner. Bend the top so it stays in place and then bend the bottom to make the pipe cleaner look like a “J”. Tape it your paper and BAM you got yourself some awesome PAPER UMBRELLAS!