A simple game of ring toss can provide a fun and easy preschool activity. This game is especially good for improving your preschooler's hand-eye coordination, as it takes some skill to effectively toss the ring on the target.
Instructions
1. Decorate the soda bottles by working with your preschooler in cutting construction paper and gluing it to the bottles. Have her use markers to draw pictures and glue other found items for a decorative touch. Fill the bottles with water for stability and screw the caps tightly in place. For a brighter touch, add food coloring to the water and mix in glitter or confetti.
2. Attach the soda bottles together to create rows. The number of bottles per row depends on the total number of bottles you have. Your goal is to form a square, so you'll need either nine bottles -- three rows of three -- or 16 or more bottles -- four rows of four, five rows of five and so on. Use packing tape to connect the bottles for each row, then connect all of the bottles by circling the bottle square with packing tape.
3. Create the rings by connecting two pipe cleaners and fastening them into a circle. You also can create rings by cutting a circle out of the center of a sturdy paper plate, then decorating the plate. You'll want the rings to be able to fit over only one bottle.
4. Select a distance for your child to stand from the soda bottle based on her skill level. By starting her closer to the target, she can make the hand-eye coordination connection up close. As her skill improves, move her back a little bit farther.
5. Encourage your preschooler by showing him aim for the target, providing plenty of positive reinforcement. You can offer different points for different bottles as he progresses. For instance, the innermost bottles might be worth more points than those on the edges.
Tags: your preschooler, connect bottles, hand-eye coordination, number bottles, packing tape, soda bottles