It’s getting close…
Read Across America/ Dr. Seuss’ birthday is just right around the corner (March 2nd)! We’ve been getting ready by pinning lots of preschool activities and doing plenty of our own Seuss inspired crafts (this Cat in the Hat marble painting is my favorite!) Today we used wine corks to create a simple and fine motor activity for preschoolers!
Supplies
- Wine corks
- Red and white rubber bands
- Red and white paint
- Paintbrush
I had these wine corks donated to me when I was teaching. We used them a few days ago for this Green Eggs and Ham activity, which in turn inspired this fine motor activity using them as well!
To turn the corks into little Dr. Seuss Hats, I painted one white and one red (I couldn’t decide if Seuss hats were red with white stripes, or white with red stripes, so I made both). Then all I did was gather the rubber bands and invite Thing 1 and Thing 2 to help me out!
Cat in the Hat Fine Motor Activity
Stretching the rubber bands over the wine cork is a fantastic way to exercise little fingers and get them ready for writing!
It can also be tricky to master and many kids would do well with a little help so they don’t become frustrated. I modeled how to open the rubber bands with two fingers in one hand, while holding the cork in the other. My four year old picked up on the skill quickly…then (once he had placed all the rubber bands on the cork), he reimagined the lovely little Seuss hats as spy bombs that had to be deactivated before they went off. Seriously. Who is this kid?!?
The rubber band “wires” had to be handled with extreme care to avoid detonation…
My three year old stuck with the Cat in the Hat theme (despite his big brother’s crazy ideas), but he had a harder time putting the rubber bands on the cork. Instead, I placed several bands on the cork and he worked on removing them one by one.
This fine motor activity is so simple to put together! Don’t you love easy-to-assemble projects?
Don’t forget to pin this idea so you’ll remember it in the future!
