Dragonfly Occupational Therapy Activity

This blog post by contributor author Regina Parsons-Allen describes a cute dragonfly-themed craft that can be used to address a variety of occupational therapy activity areas including: fine motor skills, visual motor skills, crossing midline, bilateral coordination, dexterity, and more.

Looking for a creative and crafty occupational therapy activity that is easy to prepare and packs big punch in addressing a variety of skills? This dragonfly occupational therapy activity and craft creation may be just what you need! It’s fun, versatile, easy to implement, and addresses a large variety of skills and multiple skill levels while also being cheap!! It's a great activity that can be easily upgraded or downgraded to provide the “just right” challenge. While this dragonfly craft is perfect for the pediatric and school-based occupational therapy practitioner, but would make a great classroom center or take home activity too.

Create dragonfly crafts to work on occupational therapy goals with this occupational therapy activity that kids will love, using a dragonfly theme.

These dragonfly crafts are so versatile they could be used as a simple occupational therapy craft activity, an assembly activity, a game-like activity, or any combination. Take a look at all of the crafty fun that can be had with these fun flying creations.

Kids will love this dragonfly craft occupational therapy activity that works on skills like fine motor skills and visual motor skills.

Dragonfly Craft - A Fun Occupational Therapy Activity

Using the dragonfly as a take home occupational therapy craft encourages skill development during the making process with the end product being used for play or display.

The child could make one dragonfly or a group of dragonflies with the focus of the activity being on coloring and cutting which addresses a child’s fine motor coordination, manipulation and grasp, distal control, bilateral coordination and visual motor skills.

Related: For more bilateral coordination activities like this one, try some of the ideas on our list of Winter Bilateral Coordination Activities.

This cute dragonfly craft uses clothes pins and a variety of craft materials to work on skills like bilateral coordination, visual motor skills, and fine motor skills in this creative occupational therapy activity.

How to make a dragonfly craft:

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Color the clothespins with either a marker, crayon, or a colored pencil working on grasp patterns and distal control.

Use tacky glue to glue on the googly eyes working on precision skills.

Cut the wings from selected tactile material working on scissor skills, including scissor grasp, bilateral coordination, and eye-hand coordination.

Possible materials that can be used for dragonfly designs could include felt, sandpaper, sticky sticks, chenille stems, paper straws, plastic straws, foam, Velcro, craft sticks, and plastic canvas.

Place the wings that are cut into an X pattern and pinch the clothespin to insert the wings. This process addresses fine motor strength, manipulation, pinch, and visual perceptual skills.

Use craft materials like pipe cleaners, craft sticks, wikki sticks, straws, and other materials in this dragonfly occupational therapy craft for kids.

Dragonfly Occupational Therapy Activity- Assembly Activity

To use the dragonflies as an assembly activity requires the dragonfly materials to be prepared prior to the session.

The therapist pre-assembles the clothespins, having the googly eyes glued on and the wing materials are already cut.

Having these pieces ready prior to the session allows the focus of the session to be on targeted skill development directed by the therapist addressing individual goals.

Activity focus areas might include fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, tactile tolerance, isolated or intersecting diagonal line practice, visual scanning, motor planning and problem solving.

Work on fine motor skills and other occupational therapy goals with these cute dragonflies made from clothespins.

To set up the dragonfly craft as an occupational therapy assembly activity:

· 1. Place the wing materials scattered on the tabletop and have the child visually scan the table top for matching pieces.

· 2. Have the child take the matches and create an X pattern for wing assembly.

· 3. Have the child pinch clothespins open to insert the wings.

· 4. Continue this process until all dragonflies are assembled with matching wings.

Dragonfly occupational therapy activity that kids can make.

Dragonfly Occupational Therapy Activity or Game

To use the dragonflies for fun game-like activities, the dragonfly materials would be prepared prior to the session with one set of wing materials inside of a bag.

· Game 1: Have the child reach into the bag, feel for only one wing, pull it out and locate its match on the table top for dragonfly assembly.

· Game 2: Have child reach into the bag and feel the texture of one wing inside of the bag and while keeping their hand in of the bag, use their other hand to locate its match on the table top and assemble the dragonfly.

Activity focus areas might include the same as simple assembly, but with this game-like approach tactile perception is more actively targeted.

Use this dragonfly craft to work on occupational therapy goals like handwriting with this occupational therapy activity idea.

Dragonfly Occupational Therapy Handwriting Activity

A bonus would be to couple this activity with some handwriting practice. Take a look below at how easy it is to toss in some quick handwriting work.

Dragonfly designs is a fun, cheap summertime activity that is easy to implement during therapy sessions and packs a big therapeutic punch. What therapist doesn’t enjoy those elements for a therapy activity?

This post was written by Regina Allen. Read about Regina in her Contributor Author Spotlight.