It’s a rainy day in the summer. Your kids have wall-papered your refrigerator with their art and are now singing “I’m bored” to the beat of the “Super Why!” theme song. You’re ready to pull out your hair. Then you remember the Noggins you bought a few weeks ago. And then it hits you—It’s time for NOGGINS THEATER!!
While Noggins are a great tool paired with pencils and scissors to help strengthen fine motor skills, your kids can also practice those skills with a Noggins Theater.
Here’s how it works:
1. Have your child choose their favorite Noggin (or two!). Then give each one a character name. You can get in on the fun too – choose your favorite Noggin, give it a name, and play along! The more the merrier. Plus, kids love when Mom and Dad play along!
2. Take an old shoebox, or other platform (like stacked books or a tabletop), to create the stage. You can also put the Noggins to work on some pencils and scissors and have your child draw scenery or cut out construction paper to create props. Creativity is endless here. You’ll be surprised with what they come up with!
3. Once the stage is set, it’s time to get acting! Let your child create a storyline using the Noggins at their fingertips. They can act out any storyline their minds can create. They won’t even realize that they are still working on their fine motor skills as the Noggins “talk”, “move”, pick things up and do other activities. The Noggins can be as active as your child can imagine.
If you want to make the theater even more special you can have your child create tickets and invite friends and family to the performance. When they’re creating the tickets be sure they use the Noggins on their pencils, crayons, markers and scissors. This is another way to help improve the various grasps on objects and help them control the movement of their writing tool as well as the scissors to consistently cut straight.
Have someone record the performance for your child so he or she can see just how wonderful it was. It’s no secret that kids love watching themselves on video!
Creating a Noggins Theater not only helps to improve fine motor skills but also stimulates creative thinking; both much needed skills children can carry with them throughout their school years.
From making tickets to creating storylines and acting, your kids will forget they were ever bored. What’s even better is that they’ll have so much fun during the first round of Noggins Theater that they’ll want to do it again, even when the rain has stopped!
Order your Noggins at www.Nogginsland.com to start your very own Noggins Theater and to stop hearing “I’m bored” over and over again!
Written by: Kristina Cappetta
Edited & Designed by: Jamie Schmalenberger
Graphics by: Freepik
My name is John Haber. I’m a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and the founder of Nogginsland. I became a COTA in 2003, and then went back to school much later, receiving my Master’s Degree in OT from Mercy College in New York in 2016.
Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of populations in different settings, from school districts, to developmental disability centers, to children’s hospitals.