Paper Weaving

 

Paper Weaving Animals

 

As an OT, I have only used weaving activities a couple of times, and I was always careful who I gave one to because of the coordination of skills that it takes to complete.

Paper weaving is a two-handed activity that is going to take some real coordination to complete. You will also have to grasp the spatial concept of passing the long piece over and under, over and under, over and over again. Concentration will be a must. The activity can become tedious before you are even close to the end. If you are focusing on only one particular skill, there may be too many things going on here to be helpful.

This Alex Little Hands brand activity will be harder than, say, a typical foam craft kit. In foam kits the strips are usually wider and thicker than these. The strips in this kit are long and narrow, measuring 9" x 7/16", and made of paper, not card stock. Yes, they are rather flimsy. You will weave some horizontally and some vertically.

Above left is a picture in process, and right is the completed picture. The strips are all one length, so some will be too long. Just cut off the excess.

Try this:

• If one way is more difficult to weave than the other (vertical vs horizontal), just rotate the picture 1/4 turn and then you can work it all the way that is easiest for you.
• Wrap a small piece of tape around the end you are weaving with so it is a little firmer and won't collapse so easily on you.
• Laminate the strips, cut them out and cut a point on the weaving end. This worked well. I use the 3m laminate sheets.
  
• Work a picture at the same time, sitting side by side with the individual, so that he has a demonstration that he can follow. I also like to sit on a corner, so the individual can see my hands and what I am doing.
  
• Start with a smaller area, such as the sleeve trim (above), so that the individual can have success quickly and it will bolster their confidence to try the larger areas.
• Take turns. You weave one strip, they weave one strip, or you weave a half strip and they finish it. The project won't seem so overwhelming and it will give their hands a chance to rest. Or only do a portion at a time, come back to it later or in another session.
• Work on in-hand manipulation, precise fine motor skills, manual dexterity, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination skills, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: 4 separate pictures with enough strips to finish each picture. Each picture and its strips are individually wrapped in a cellophane bag.