Make a Magnetic Fishing Pole: Tie a string to a stick. Attach a small magnet to the end of the string.

Fishing with Magnets: Fill your kitchen sink with water. Drop nuts, bolts and paper clips into the water. Let your child go fishing. (Advanced: have your child place the items into groups as she catches them. Variation: play the part of a purchaser from the market. Tell your child you only purchase items in groups of three. Let your child arrange the items for purchase.)

More Fishing with Magnets: Cut out construction paper fish with your child (colors should vary). Tape a small magnet onto each fish. Place the fish on the living room floor and let your child go fishing with her magnetic fishing pole. Group the fish by color. (Advanced: group the fish by size or fin type.)

Search and Rescue: Fill a glass with water and drop a paper clip into it. Have your child try to take the paper clip out of the glass using a magnet (along the side of the glass).

Advanced Search and Rescue: Repeat the previous activity with a tall vase with a narrow neck. The vase should be dark in color so the contents cannot be seen. Your child will love the challenge of navigating the unseen paper clip to the top of the vase. (Advanced: drop ten paper clips into the vase. Use a timer: let your child retrieve the paper clips using the magnet. Repeat the activity and try to improve the time.)

Going Going Gone: Each player shoots a cotton ball towards the edge of your kitchen table. (To shoot: twit like a marble.) The player whose cotton ball rolls nearest the edge–without going over– scores a point.

Clue Hunt: Leave a note under your child’s cereal bowl: “Secret clue on page 5 of Mother Goose book.” Now have the second note refer to another location–your child’s left sneaker, for instance. Third note reveals another location, etc. Last location might contain a toy surprise or supplies for art project.

Pattern Recognition: You need six spaghetti sticks–three for you and three for your child. Sit side by side. Place your three spaghetti sticks in a row. Let your child try to repeat the pattern with her spaghetti sticks. Next make a design with your three spaghetti sticks. Now let your child try to copy the design. When you’re finished, switch roles.

Make a Crane: Use tape to make a small loop at the top of a bedroom door frame. Pass a piece of kite string through the loop. Tape a nickel to one end. Let your child hold the other end. Now give the nickel a swing and allow your child to lower it into a cereal bowl.

Alphabet Hunting: Set a timer for two minutes. Hunt for things around the house that start with the letter “A.” Repeat for letter ” B” and “C.” Which letter has the most items? Which letter has the biggest item? The smallest item?

Chemistry in Action: Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a ziplock baggie. Now carefully add a tablespoon of baking soda. Do not let the ingredients touch one another. Seal the bag. Now shake the contents and observe what happens.

Field Goal Fun: Use a round balloon to kick field goals in your living room. If it stays on the couch it’s good. See who can make it from furthest away. Mark the spot with a piece of tape.

Tower Power: Roll up a piece of paper and secure it with a rubber band. Stand it up on your kitchen table. Now place a paper plate on top. Place another sheet of rolled up paper on top of that. Follow that with another paper plate. Continue to make the tower as tall as you can.

Freezer Magic: What happens if you leave a strip of tape in the freezer? Will it lose its stickiness? What happens to a dab of toothpaste? A hill of shaving cream? A bowl of cereal with milk in it? There’s an easy way to find out—.

One of the keys to a wholesome learning environment is an emphasis on activities. The best activities are the ones that invite creative input in determining the scope, rules or meaning of the event at hand. You won’t get that from a video game, where all the outcomes are predetermined and all the rules and possibilities are prepared by someone else.

In general, one easy strategy to keep in mind as a parent is that when the activity is important and interesting to you… it’s important and interesting to your child.

Have fun!

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What You Need:

Kite string (or yarn, etc.)
Two rubber bands
Masking tape
Nickel

What to Do:

The first thing is to identify a doorway or arch in your house–one that has some open floor space beneath. You’ll be attaching your fling device to the top of the doorway and extending it to the floor. Here’s how:

1. Knot two or more rubber bands together. How many depends on the strength of the rubber bands. Start with two and see how that goes–then make adjustments as necessary. Use a simple Prusik Knot to attach the rubber bands to one another. (Figures 1, 2 and 3)

2. Cut a piece of string a couple feet longer than the height of your doorway opening.

3. Tie one end of your string to the rubber bands. (figure 4)

4. To attach rubber bands to top of doorway, cut four pieces of masking tape: 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches and 4 inches. (figure 5)

5. Make sure the tape does not peel off paint (or stain) by testing a piece first. Simply apply then remove a small piece of tape at the top of your doorway. If problem occurs, switch to blue painter’s tape or find another doorway.

6. Attach rubber bands to top of doorway using the 1 inch piece of tape. (figure6)

7. Apply the 2 inch strip of tape (over the 1 inch strip). Next apply the 3 inch strip, and lastly the 4 inch strip.

(Note: an alternate method of securing rubber bands is to screw in a small hook, then attach rubber bands to that.)

8. Let the string hang to the floor, then allow twelve inches of surplus. Cut the string.

(The total length of the string–like a capital “L”– should reach straight down to the floor, plus twelve inches.)

9. Tape a nickel to the end of the string.

How to Fling the Nickel:

The nickel is flung from a seated position. Where to sit: Pull the string on an angle away from the doorway until the nickle is approximately twelve inches or so off the floor. Sit there. Now pull the nickel towards you and release. The nickel will fly through the doorway.

Games to Play:

1. Each player flings the nickel ten times at a large cardboard box (sitting on the floor through the doorway). The player who makes it into the box the most times wins.

2. Create an imaginary line directly at the bottom of the doorway. Player one flings the nickel with the goal of making it return past the imaginary line. Player one continues flinging the nickel until it misfires and does not return past the imaginary line. Player one’s score is the number of successful launches. Each player repeats the procedure. The player with the highest score wins.

3. Use a small magnet instead of a nickel. Set up canned goods with points assigned to each. Fling the magnet five times, then add your score. Each player does the same thing. The player with the most points wins.

The following games require a “tennis net” in your doorway. The easiest way to do this is simply to tape a piece of string directly across the doorway.

4. Player one flings the nickel over the tennis net, and repeats the procedure until the nickel does not make it over the net. (Adjust the height of the net to accommodate skill level.) Player one’s score is the number of successful launches. Each player repeats the procedure. The player with the highest score wins.

5. Simulate a high jump event: set the height of the bar (the “tennis net”) in an easy position, approximately two or three feet high. Each player has three tries to fling the nickel over the bar. If each player is successful, raise the bar by five or six inches. Now each player has three more attempts. Keep adjusting the bar higher until only one player is able able to make it over the top. That player is the winner. Keep track of “the record” for future play.

(Note: Each time you’re finished playing, take down the fling device so the tape doesn’t become too sticky on the paint or stain.)

Games with string offer unique around the house activities you can play anytime. The games, which use everyday household materials, are a great alternative to electronic gadgets. With electronic games, all the outcomes and possibilities have already been established. There’s nothing creative left for the user to do; no new variations, materials, rules or results can be invented. String games, on the other hand, offer countless, open-ended possibilities. The objects are real, so you can trade them in and out based on your own ideas. And, of course, you can expand, replace, tweak or invent game rules. Best of all, you built the thing, so you know how it works!

Have fun!

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To Summarize:

1. Fine motor skills activities that produce an event are particularly effective. For instance, winding a jack-in-the-box that makes the puppet appear is an event. If you’re not doing it right, the event doesn’t happen. That’s different than twirling a pencil in your fingers–you can kind of do that–but there’s no specific outcome to tell you for sure whether you’re doing it right. On the other hand, when there’s a specific event that happens, kids know for sure whether they are doing it right and they have a clear objective to try to achieve.

Making a catapult launch is an event. You keep trying until you get it right. (Note- a trebuchet style catapult doesn’t apply because the release of tension amounts to flipping a switch. You want a catapult where releasing the tension requires skill.)

2. As always, when kids are doing something fun, they give their full focus and attention. The beauty of fun playtime activities is that kids are making connections and advancing understanding because they want to. They’re enjoying the task at hand. They want to get good at it–pursue all the variations–and learn how to do it as completely as possible.

So it makes perfect sense that improving fine motor skills is easier when the games are fun. Your child wants to achieve the outcome, and is willing to keep trying until she gets it right. Of course, it helps if the outcome has fun applications. For example, winding a jack-in-the-box is a pretty singular event. There’s not much you can do once the puppet pops out. On the other hand, making a catapult launch is an entirely different story. With a catapult, there’s plenty of motivation to continue improving fine motor abilities because there’s so many ways to play. It’s not enough to launch the item–you want to control the finer aspects of the event so you can play games, score points, etc!

To Start: You Need a Catapult:

Here’s some designs you can make out of household items:

- Easy Catapult: Amazing Dimple Design
- Easy Catapult: Soda Can Design
- Mini-Catapult: Arc Tension Design

Or…here’s a complete list of easy designs: Catapult Designs for Kids

Games to Play:

1. This is an excellent game to improve fine motor skills because it requires trying to repeat–exactly–a fine motor event. That takes a lot of practice. Here’s how to play: Using your catapult, each player launches a cotton ball, then launches another cotton ball, trying to get it as close as possible to the first one. The player whose two cotton balls are closest together scores a point. The first to score ten points wins. (Advanced: Play with three cotton balls. Note that a triangle is formed. The player with the smallest triangle scores a point.)

2. Sit near a wall. Each player bounces ten cotton balls off the wall, and tries to land them inside a popcorn bowl. The player with the most cotton balls inside the bowl wins.

3. Make a loop with string. Each player launches ten cotton balls. The player with the most inside the loop wins. (Advanced: Make a loop inside the loop for double points!)

4. See Catapult Games for Kids for a complete list of games to play.

Fine motor skill activities that are fun for kids work best. From the child’s perspective, if the purpose of the activity is to develop fine motor skills, it’s probably not much fun. On the other hand, if the activity itself is fun–and simply requires improving fine motor control–then your child is motivated to become really good at the activity. And that–as they say–is a win-win situation!

Good luck!

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Materials:

- two 12 ounce soda pop cans (unopened)
- kitchen fork
- ten rubber bands (standard 3.5″ x 1/4″ size is optimal)
- cap from a plastic 2-liter bottle
-two pencils (equal length)
-masking tape

What to Do:

Watch YouTube video or follow the instructs below:

1. Place two soda cans next to each other–one standing up and one on its side. (figure 1)

2. Secure the cans in this position with two rubber bands: stretch one around the upper portion of the standing can and wrap it around the lower portion of the bottom can. Stretch the other around the upper portion of the standing can and wrap it around the upper portion of the bottom can. (figure 2 and 3)

3. Repeat step two.

4. Turn the standing can toward you. Insert a fork beneath the belt of rubber bands. The bottom side of the fork should be pressed against the surface of the can. (figure 4)

5. Make sure the belt of rubber bands are pushed to the upper part of the fork prongs to make room for the next step. (also figure 4)

6. Loop a rubber band between the last two left fork prongs and wrap it around the nearest (left) end of the bottom can. (figure 5 and 6)

7. Now loop a rubber band between the last two right fork prongs and wrap it around the nearest (right) end of the bottom can. (figure 5 and 6)

8. Push the fork and rubber bands to the top third portion of the can. (figure 7)

9. Create the catapult launch cup by attaching the cap (from a plastic 2-liter bottle) to the upper portion of the fork handle. Do not attach the cap to the very tip of the handle–leave approximately 3/4 inch free. Attach the cap by placing it against the handle and wrapping it with masking tape. Be sure to press the tape into the bottom of the cup as you loop around, so that the cup maintains its cavity. Make sure cap is securely in place. (figure 8 and 9)

10. Rubber band two pencils together (pencils should be equal length). Do this with two rubber bands–one left of center and one right of center. Do not over-fasten the pencils together. (figure 10)

11. Create the arc stop: Insert the fork prongs between the two pencils and slide the pencils approximately half way up the fork prongs. (figure 11)

12. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to secure the arc stop. (After using the catapult a few times, adjust the pencils up or down to achieve optimal arc.)

13. Your catapult is now complete. (figure 12)

How to Launch Objects:

Place object in launch cup, pull arm back and release.

Objects to Launch:

Cotton balls, Q-Tip tops, cut up sponge pieces, miniature marshmallows, dry beans, styrofoam balls, corks.

Games to Play:

-Set a bucket five or ten feet away from your catapult and see how many tries it takes to launch ten items into the bucket. The next player does the same thing. The player who requires the least amount of attempts is the winner.

-Each player launches five objects toward the base of a wall. Score a point for the three items that land closest to the wall. Play again. First player to reach fifteen points wins.

-One player launches three items and tries to land them as close together as possible. The next player does the same thing. The player whose items land closest together wins. (Note that the three items form a triangle; if necessary, measure the perimeter of each triangle to determine the winner.)

-Complete list of games: Catapult Games for Kids

The soda can catapult design for kids is sturdy, fun, and simple. You can build it in just a few minutes using everyday household items. If your interested in long term use, consider wrapping the cans in masking tape (before you begin assembly) in order to prevent puncturing. Overall, the design has several unique advantages:

• The bend of the fork tip provides a built-in fulcrum
• The tilt of the front can provides an ideal angle for the launch arm
• The two pencils that form the arc-stop allow you to adjust the angle of trajectory (45 degrees is optimal)

Best of luck–have fun with your new catapult!

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Materials:

• Colored Construction paper
• Scissors
• Regular or charcoal pencil
• Flat top tacks (optional)
• Old art frame from thrift store

What to Do:

In this art project your child will be cutting out construction paper fish and rocks and arranging them inside and outside a frame on the wall.

1) Choose a color of construction paper for the fish. You can use different colors or all one color.

2) Making the fish: An easy way to make a fish is to place your hand on a sheet of construction paper, and with your other hand trace the web between index finger and thumb. You can use a regular pencil or a charcoal pencil– charcoal is easier to see on colored construction paper. Careful not to trace too much. Just go from middle knuckle of index finger to middle knuckle of thumb. (figure 1)

3) Notice how the traced area resembles the head of a fish. Now finish drawing the fish.

4) Cut out the fish. If there are pencil marks remaining, erase them. Draw the mouth and make a mark where the eye will go. (figure 2)

5) Make two more fish.

6) Of the three total fish, one needs to be approximately 2x bigger than the other two. Also, for variety, do not make all the fish pointing in the same direction. (figure 3)

7) Make a rock formation: To make the rocks, first pick a color of construction paper different than the fish.

8) Now place your fingertips on the piece of construction paper and allow your child to trace them. (figure 4)

9) Cut out the shape made by the tracing– that is your your rock formation. (figure 5)

Mounting the Art Project:

10) Mount fish directly to the wall by pushing a flat tack through the eye. The tack will become the eye. (If you do not want to make holes in your wall, color the eyes with a crayon and use tape to secure the fish to the wall.)

11) Completely remove the back and any glass from an old art frame. Now mount one fish completely inside the frame. Mount one fish completely outside the frame. Mount one fish (the biggest one) half inside and half outside of the frame.

12) Mount the rock formation inside the frame.

13) Your open composition art project for kids is now complete. (figure 6)

This project reinforces the concept of open composition by drawing attention to boundaries. Some follow up questions might include: Where is the boundary of the art work? If you mount a fish on the opposite wall, is it still part of the picture? How far away can the fish go and still be part of the art work?

Have fun!

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(Note: If you are using white cotton balls, for some of the games you’ll need to color code them with a marker to keep track of whose are whose.)

Games to Play with Catapults:

1. Open a desk or dresser drawer. Each player shoots five cotton balls. Score a point for each one that lands in the drawer. Play again. First to reach eleven points wins.

2. Each player launches five cotton balls at a loop of string. Score a point for each one that lands inside the loop. First to reach eleven points wins. Advanced: Make a loop inside the loop for 2x points.

3. Each player shoots five cotton balls at the base of a wall. Score a point for the three closest. Play again. First to reach eleven points wins.

4. Using playing cards, place 1 ten, 1 five and 4 twos on the floor. Each player launches a cotton ball and receives points based on the nearest playing card. Play again. First to reach twenty five points wins.

5. Take turns launching two cotton balls off a wall. Score a point for the player whose two cotton balls land closest together. First to reach eleven points wins.

6. The first player launches three cotton balls with the goal of landing them as close together as possible. Note the size of the triangle formed by the three balls (measure the perimeter if necessary). Repeat the process with each player. The player whose three cotton balls are closest together wins.

7. Use a shoebox or salad bowl for a target. Give each player ten cotton balls. See who can launch the most into the target.

Variations on Game 7:

8. Use a coin for a target. Each player launches five cotton balls at the target. Give a point to the three closest. Play again. First to reach eleven points wins.

9. Place an empty laundry basket against the wall. Each player launches ten cotton balls (bouncing off the wall if needed). The player who lands the most into the basket wins.

10. Cut a circle out of the middle of a poster board and hang it in a bedroom doorway. Each player shoots ten cotton balls. The player who makes the most through the circle wins.

Of course, all the catapult games are flexible enough to accommodate different ages and skill levels. (And you can always introduce a timer for added suspense!) Another variation is to make cotton balls available to players who provide correct answers to scholastic questions. For instance, before the game begins ten cotton balls are distributed one at a time to the player who is first to correctly answer a geography or math question (9×7, half of 12×3, the capital of Rhode Island, etc). That’s the great thing about catapults for kids–there’s a ton of ways you can play.

Have Fun!

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Some of the one minute activities for kids are easier to set up than others. It really depends on how easy it is to find materials. On the whole, the list should serve as an action-ready guide when you’re in a tight spot…a pickle…a pinch for new ideas. Just remember, with any activity, it’s fresh and new and exciting to your child when it’s fresh and new and exciting to you.

Good luck!

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By now you’ve probably noticed there are lots of catapult designs for kids on this site. The number one question I get is…which one launches things the furthest? I receive a range of other questions, including–one time–which one fits best in a purse? (No kidding.) In any event, I’ve decided to rate the catapults according to some basic categories that might help you decide which one is best for you.

Categories:

Distance- which one launches things the furthest
Durability- how well does it hold up under heavy use
Ease of construction- how easy is it to put together
Ease of finding materials- likelihood of finding materials around the house
Easy to take to grandma’s- chances of making it to grandma’s and back
Looks good in science class- what’s the wow factor

The ratings are 1-10 (10=superior) as compared to the other catapults.

Easy to Make Catapult-Basic Design
Distance – 5
Durability – 8
Ease of construction – 10
Ease of finding materials – 10
Make it to grandma’s and back – 8
Looks good in science class – 5

Notes: Quick and super easy to assemble. Great starter catapult for Pre-schoolers.

Easy to Make Catapult- Fantastic Soda Can Design
Distance – 9
Durability – 10
Ease of construction – 8
Ease of finding materials – 9
Make it to grandma’s and back – 9
Looks good in science class – 10

Notes: Great arm tension and super durability. Definitely looks good in science class.

Easy to Make Catapult-Amazing Dimple Design
Distance – 7
Durability – 7
Ease of construction – 10
Ease of finding materials – 9
Make it to grandma’s and back – 7
Looks good in science class – 5

Notes: Design uses an oatmeal container, so if you like oatmeal, the materials are easy to find.

Easy to Make Catapult-Super Fling Design
Distance – 10
Durability – 10
Ease of construction – 7
Ease of finding materials – 9
Make it to grandma’s and back – 6
Looks good in science class – 10

Notes: Performs extremely well in the distance category, and offers an eccentric look.

Easy to Make Catapult-Egg Carton Design
Distance – 6
Durability – 6
Ease of construction – 6
Ease of finding materials – 10
Make it to grandma’s and back – 6
Looks good in science class – 7

Notes: This catapult is fun to make and it looks cool. Hurling power is modest.

Easy to Make Catapult -Brawny Launcher Design
Distance – 8
Durability – 10
Ease of construction – 8
Ease of finding materials – 10
Make it to grandma’s and back – 10
Looks good in science class – 8

Notes: This is a super sturdy design with notable hurling power.

Mini Catapult -Arc Tension Design
Distance – 7
Durability – 8
Ease of construction – 8
Ease of finding materials – 10
Make it to grandma’s and back – 5
Looks good in science class – 10

Notes: Impressive technical appearance, but slender chance of making it to grandma’s and back.

Mini Catapult -Bear Clamp Base Design
Distance – 7
Durability – 8
Ease of construction – 8
Ease of finding materials – 10
Make it to grandma’s and back – 5
Looks good in science class – 7

Notes: Unique, versatile technique stimulates kids’ own ideas for catapult making.

Keep in mind that the ratings are in comparison with one another. The Superfling Design, for instance, hurls things so far (20+ feet) that by comparison the other designs appear to have modest distance ratings. In other words, if the only catapult you make is the Arc-Tension Design, its launching power will seem quite normal. No doubt you will be motivated to tinker with the design to make it work better. But then–after all–that’s the fun of making catapults!

Have Fun!

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What You Need:
-empty egg carton
-scissors
-masking tape
-rubber bands
-teaspoon

What to Do:

1. Cut the egg carton in half. A cardboard carton works best, but you can also use styrofoam. (figure 1)

2. Stuff each socket with a ball of newspaper in order to reinforce the base of your catapult. (figure 2) Now close the lid and secure the carton with a rubber band. (figure 3)

3. Wrap two or more rubber bands (depending on the size/ strength) around the base of the carton, just below the opening in the middle. (figure 4)

4. Tape a rubber band to the end of the handle on a teaspoon. (figure 5.1) and (figure 5.2)

5. Insert the handle of the spoon beneath the rubber bands you wrapped around the base in step 3. (figure 6)

7. Now take the rubber band you taped to the handle of the spoon in step 4 and stretch it straight up and over the spoon and wrap it around the back of the carton. (figure 7) and (figure 8)

8. Now wrap two or more rubber bands (depending on the size/ strength) around the base of the carton, just above the opening in the middle. (figure 9)

9. Attach a “leash” to the spoon (not too tightly) by securing a rubber band between the the spoon and the top of the egg carton. Use tape as necessary. This “leash” will enable the catapult to launch objects on an arc instead of a line drive. Adjust tightness of leash to achieve optimal results. (figure 10 and 11)

10. Your catapult is now complete. (figure 11)

How to launch objects:

Pull back spoon. Insert small object. Point catapult in preferred direction, then release.

Objects to launch:

Paper balls, cut up sponge pieces, styrofoam balls, cotton balls, etc.

Games to play:

-Use a bucket or salad bowl for a target. Give each player ten objects and see who can make the most into the bucket. If objects are uniform, keep track by coloring them with a marker (for example: red for player one/ blue for player two).

-One player keeps launching objects at the bucket until three in a row are made. Now count how many objects were used. The next player does the same thing. The player who used the fewest objects wins.

-Place a coin on the floor. Each player launches five objects, trying to get as close to the coin as possible. Give points to the three closest objects. For example, two points for player one, and one point for player two. Keep playing until one player reaches eleven points.

Once you know how to build a catapult for kids, there’s an endless variety of games you can play and invent. Keep in mind that because your child was part of the building process, she will have a greater willingness to tinker with the mechanical design. Don’t be surprised in a few days if your child has taken complete ownership of the mechanical engineering behind the catapult.

Q: This egg carton design seems tricky. Do you have a more simple catapult design for kids?

A: Yes, these are more simple:
Easy to Make Catapult: Amazing Dimple Design
Easy to Make Catapult: Basic Design

Q: Do you have other designs?

A: Yes. All the catapult designs on this site are listed right here:
Catapult Designs for Kids

Have fun!

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