Boost Sensory and Fine Motor Skills with this Thanksgiving Treat: Candy Turkey

This Thanksgiving, give your sensory seeker a nice messy treat by making a Candy Turkey!

This recipe is perfect for sensory seekers who love to get their hands messy, and exciting enough to motivate sensory avoiders to get involved in the activity. It also provides lots of opportunities to practice fine motor skills and executive functioning.

Here's what you need:

• 1 1/2 Oreos for body and stand

• 1 Reese’s peanut butter cup body

• 6 candy corn for feathers and the beak

• 1 Whopper malted milk ball or chocolate-covered pretzel ball for the head

• Marshmallow Fluff for glue

Why POTS Love This Activity:

• Spreading the marshmallow fluff glue requires bilateral coordination (using the two hands together) and pressure modulation (pressing hard enough to spread the glue, but not so hard that the Oreo breaks).

• Grasping candy corn promotes a fine pincer grasp. Sticking them into the fluff strengthens fingers and eye-hand coordination.

• Assembling the turkey builds fine motor control, visual-spatial motor planning, and sequencing skills. 

POTS Tip: Prepare a Visual Model!

• Make a model turkey before making one with your child.

• Boost visual-spatial skills, help your child look at the turkey to decide how much of each candy is needed. 

• Sharpen executive functioning: Analyze how the turkey was put together and figure out the best sequence to build it. This strengthens visual perception and the planning, organizing, and sequencing phases of executive function skills.