A "craft" activity that Ds2 actually can do

[Saker]

Ds2 (7) has very poor fine motor skills but I have actually found a craft type of activity he can do this holiday. I happened to buy some foam mosaic squares from Yellow moon - actually for Ds1 who is the arts and crafts king. I found that if I sprayed a piece of card with an aerosol glue (it sort of dries tacky and stays sticky for some time) that Ds2 can manage to pick up the foam squares and stick them down. He has been really happy doing this and today did a lovely arrangement of them all in clusters of different colours. This is the most thought he has ever put into any type of picture - normally he just scribbles.

Anyway I thought I would share because I think if Ds2 can do it, most children should also be able to manage it and it might keep some other kids happy for a short time. Especially could appeal to those with a penchant for sorting things into lines .

oh that's helpful thanks. Ds1 has suddenly got into sticking things. His old nursery keyworker from 5 years ago worked for me this week and she was amazed to see him go off, fetch a windmill, come back with a piece of paper and some glue and stick the paper to the windmill.

You can just buy sheets of foam from Yellow Moon and cut them up, which is probably more economical and maybe more fun for a child who can use scissors.
In fact you can buy all sorts of foam shapes here.

This sounds good - thanks Saker. DS2 quite likes glueing but can't manipulate a glue stick or brush.

That's a great suggestion, thank you!

DD2 loves painting and cutting and sticking but I find liquid glue at home a nightmare (and painting is only done in the garden otherwise the walls get flicke with paint as her wrists are none too precise!).

I shall look out for that spray glue. Where did you get it? (Can't see it on the YM website)

I have been using Photomount. I just got it in a stationary/art shop locally. There is also Spraymount but I have run out of this so not sure how well it works with foam. I bought smaller cans for about £5 - they are quite expensive but a little bit goes a long way. It would probably work okay with a pritt stick.

That's brilliant! DS1 loves sticking. There's a load of pictures of him sticking on the wall at his nursery with a piece of writing he did saying "[DS1] Sticking" in very wonky 3 year old writing! I'll have to keep that sort of adhesive in mind with DS2, because he shows no interest in that sort of thing, being so anti-order and everything, yet but may do in the not too distant future and it would suit his habit of doing one little thing to please me or his portage worker then running off and doing something else before coming back.

great idea, I've ordered some squares, I think DS1 will love this!

Dunno if helpful but have found a lot of kids can't cope with handling craft stuff, taking in directions and looking down, esp. if distractable.
In that case, putting a large sheet of lining paper on the wall can help.

We experimented with one boy, by leaving it up all week. He painted with a colour at a time over period of a few days, allowing each colour to dry. Ended up with a proper piece of independently produced art, not one done by school assistant holding his hand.

Thanks for the advice Moondog. Ds2 is just starting to become interested in painting and drawing. It's interesting that his hand dominance is finally emerging and I think that has helped him. I have tried him on an easel, but he tends to wander around with the paintbrush and other things get painted! He has a good chair and gets on okay sitting down. It's so nice now he will do it for a little while because it means Ds1 and Ds2 can actually do something together albeit at different levels.

And big chunky brush and great big pots of paint. Hell, stick on side of house (outside) if you can't tolerate mess.

Other option is to just cover kitchen/dining room table entirely in wallpaper lining paper and let them at it.

same sort of thing as OP but with scraps of fabric can work well with a wide ability range.
Ata play day last summer we had kids from 1-12 making butterfly mosaics with pre glued card butterfly shapes. Did the same for christmas bubles with circles.
At the lowest level just ramming the shape glue side down into a tray of scraps created an interesting look which could then be patted to "stick" them down.