Wrapping Paper Scrunch

from 12 months · 5-10 min · Sensory

What you need

Sit on the floor with your toddler and scrunch a sheet up yourself, close enough for them to hear the crackle.
Hand them a sheet and let them crunch it, wave it and tear it.
Squeeze the paper into balls together and drop each one into the basket.
Pull one ball open, flatten it out and scrunch it up again.

Crackly paper is a big, noisy thing to feel, and squeezing it into a ball works the same grip they will use later for spoons and crayons.

Hand strength: Squeezing paper into a tight ball works the small muscles in the hand that later hold a spoon or a crayon.
Listening: Every scrunch makes a crackle, and they soon learn that a bigger squeeze makes a bigger sound.
Grasp and release: Letting go of a paper ball over the basket is the same controlled release they use for posting and stacking.

Watch for them squeezing a ball tight, then opening their hand to see it spring back. Stay close, nothing in mouths.

Plain paper works best: skip any with a shiny foil coating, and pick up the torn bits as you go.

Easier: hold the sheet up and let them grab and pull it from your hands

Harder: throw the paper balls into the basket from a step away