Fall Activities
Fall is here, and
there are plenty of fun ways to incorporate seasonal crafts and activities into
your life, which can focus on improving fine motor and visual motor integration
skills, as well as to tap into the sensory system! Here are a few of my favorite fall (and
Halloween) crafts.
- Use different materials to create beautiful fall
trees. After drawing the branches onto
paper (or tracing your arm and hand for the trunk and branches), try gluing
buttons or wadded-up tissue paper to make the colorful fall leaves. You can also paint them on using finger
paint, or ‘dot’ them on with the end of a cotton
swab. Get creative; this is a great way
to add some tactile sensory play into your day.
- Use nature!
Trace or paint around leaves (or color over them with crayons for a fun
textured stencil), stamp with apples, or turn a pinecone into a funny-faced
critter or bird feeder. See what else
you can find in your backyard that can be glued, traced, or painted!
- Turn your handprint or footprint into a fun
Halloween image. Put your two hands
together to form a spider, or your foot (turned upside down) can make a spooky
ghost or monster.
- Use cotton swabs to make a skeleton on black
paper. Cut out a head from construction
paper, then use cotton swabs to make the spine, ribs, arms, legs, and even
fingers and toes! Cutting or tearing the
cotton swabs in half for the smaller body parts is a great fine motor
task. This is also a great opportunity
to talk about body awareness – where our body parts are located and
how they connect to each other.
- Make scented dough. There are endless recipes online for making your own “play dough.” You can search for ones that are edible, or allergen-free, or require little prep. It’s worth noting that the doughs that require some cooking are often the ones that last longest and maintain consistency best. But if making it is half the fun to you, then go ahead and explore all of the different recipes out there to find the one you like best. Here is one example of a recipe to make pumpkin spice and apple spice scented doughs.
