5 Minute Friday - Aluminum Foil!

Foil is something we all have lying around. In addition to a must have in the kitchen, it can be a must have to spice up play time!

Foil is best used for babies 6 months and up who are able to control their hands. It is shiny, malleable, and makes an interesting, satisfying noise for babies!

• Wrap your baby’s favorite toys in foil, and demonstrate opening it. This promotes bilateral coordination (using both hands together), fine motor coordination, visual motor integration skills, problem solving, and tactile processing skills. For younger babies, try folding the foil loosely, and as your baby gets older and more skilled, you can wrap toys more tightly.
• Use foil as a backdrop for a finger painting. The foil will be smooth in places, and textured in others providing increased feedback to improve awareness and fine motor skills. Try taping the foil to a vertical surface to promote wrist extension and shoulder stability. This is a great way to provide a multi-sensory approach to teach pre-writing strokes (circles, lines, intersecting lines, diagonal lines) and writing letters and numbers.
• Tear foil into pieces to add to a sensory bin. Tearing paper and foil requires pincer grasp development, MP flexion (bent thumb posture), and bilateral coordination. It is a great way to develop hand division and strength necessary for appropriate grasp patterns.
• Crumble foil into balls and throw them into a container. This works on fine motor strengthening, bilateral coordination, and upper limb coordination. It is also a great way to integrate grasping reflexes.
• Write “messages” draw pictures, letters, shapes, etc. on foil, then crumble it up. Have your child open the foil and look at the message. For older kiddos, you can have them copy the form you made inside. This is great for fine motor coordination, bilateral coordination, visual motor integration, and grasping reflex integration.

Foil can be fun for all ages, and not just in the kitchen! It is packed with fine motor benefits for the whole family.