Balance the Snowball Activity
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The Balance the Snowball activity is a simple, hands-on way to target fine motor control, problem-solving, and early STEM concepts, all using everyday materials you likely already have on hand. By challenging kids to carefully place “snowballs” on tubes of varying heights, this activity naturally encourages focus, patience, and experimentation while feeling like play.
Supply List for Balance the Snowball Activity
- Paper towel rolls
- Scissors
- White pom poms (snowballs)
Instructions
- Cut toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls into different heights. Make a variety of tall and short tubes to add challenge.
- Stand the tubes upright on a flat surface.
- Give kids white pom poms and explain that they are snowballs.
- Encourage kids to carefully place and balance the pom poms on top of the tubes.
- Invite them to experiment with stacking, sorting by height, or creating their own balance challenges.
Benefits of this Activity
- Strengthens fine motor control and hand-eye coordination
- Builds patience and focus through careful balancing
- Encourages problem-solving and experimentation
- Supports early STEM skills related to balance and stability
- Offers a simple, hands-on activity using everyday materials
Activity Adaptation Ideas
🏠 Home Adaptations
Younger kids: Use larger pom poms or cotton balls for easier grasping. Let children stabilize the tube with their non-dominant hand.
Added movement: Place tubes on different surfaces (table, floor, tray) or have kids retrieve pom poms from across the room.
🏫 Classroom Adaptations
Centers activity: Set this up as a winter fine motor or STEM center with picture cards showing different stacking challenges.
Math tie-in: Have students count how many pom poms they can balance, compare tall vs. short tubes, or graph results.
Collaboration: Assign small groups to design the “hardest” balance structure and test it with classmates.
🧠 Therapy Session Adaptations
Grading difficulty: Vary tube height, surface stability, or pom-pom size to match the child's skill level.
Skill focus: Target pincer grasp, bilateral coordination, or visual-motor integration by adding specific rules (e.g., use only one hand).
Sensory regulation: Pair with deep breathing (“slow hands”) or use as a proprioception/heavy work task at the start or end of a session.
This activity is easy to adapt, quick to set up, and endlessly flexible, making it a great option for winter-themed learning at home, in the classroom, or during therapy sessions.
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Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks, including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, The Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.