For these activities I use cardboard tubes - the sort you find in rolls of tin foil and wrapping paper.
These tubes are just the right size for young children's hands to wrap around and grip using a power grip.
I also use some paper cups, a banana box with 3 holes cut in the base, several pegs and a scarf.
The hand and reaching actions needed for tube games
Grasping a tube is done by bending the fingers around one side of the tube. The thumb is moved away from the palm to fit around the tube on the other side. The wrist is kept straight.
The alignment of the tube is adjusted by twisting the forearm. Supination moves the tube into an upright position.
Reaching actions of the arm are needed to move the hand to grasp the tube.
Games to practice grasp, remove and support tubes
In this video I show you how to create games that involve reaching to and pulling out a tube that is supported in an upright position.
You also see a how I use a the tubes and some pegs for a posting and removing pegs games.
Tube games using a long tube
A long tube creates a different set of opportunities for games to encourage hold, stabilize and move a tube.
For the last game in the video where I move a paper cup up and down the tube, you will need to create some lips in the base of the cup to look like this.
I covered the base of the paper cup with duct tape, then made a vertical and horizontal cut across the base of the cup, followed by diagonal lines to create 8 lips. The lips grip the tub and hold it in place.
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