One of our OT’s and her student came up with this idea that they have been loving using! They took a pringles can and decorate it (optional) and in the top they cut two holes. One was a small round hole and the other was a slot. They then used wooden sticks and buttons to put into the holes. Here are a few of the things that this activity can work on:
- visual motor skills – to line up the items and get them in the hole (similar to shape sorters)
- grasp patterns – the most efficient grasp for this activity is the pincer grasp so the child can practice this
- problem solving – the child gets to figure out which item goes in which hole as well as how to line them up so they fit in the appropriate hole
- I don’t have a great header for this one but when the item drops into the Pringles can it creates a sound that can provide auditory feedback for the task as well as potentially allow kids to work on tolerance of auditory stimuli if they have sensitivities
What ideas have you used a Pringles can for?