By: Dr. Anne Zachry
Reprinted with the express permission of the author as it originally appeared on her blog Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips, January 13, 2012

This was a simple activity that I carried out with a group of student to work on following directions. I began with a sheet of red construction paper. I prepped ahead of time by gluing a blue stripe across the center and a green and yellow stripe running up and down. (See photo)

You can use a variety of small items for the rest of the project. I decided on the following: I had the students cut a circle out of purple construction paper, they cut a piece of string in half, a small orange square sticker, a small bead, a small sponge. For the activity, I just gave them simple directions. “Cut out the purple circle and glue it under the blue line.” Then I told them, “Cut your string in half.” This was a challenging concept for some of them! Then, “Put one piece of string beside the green line,” and “Put the other piece of string on top of the yellow line.” For fine motor skills, they had to peel the back off of the orange sticker, then I told them, “Put the orange square above the blue line.” Finally, “Glue the sponge on top of the purple circle.” As you can see, this is a great kids activity for following directions. It also works on a variety of concepts as well as colors, cutting, gluing, and other fine motor skills. Give it a try…it’s lots of fun!

Featured Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Zachry, OTR/L PhD
Dr. Anne Zachry is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 18 years experience providing quality OT to children, along with caregiver instruction and support. She has a PhD in Educational Psychology. She’s had articles published in her profession’s trade magazine and in peer-reviewed journals. She is currently employed as a school therapist, working with students having issues ranging from mild fine motor problems to severe physical disabilities.
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