Lacing is one of those activities that has always been a go to for me. It is easy to set up and encourages fine motor, pincer grip and prompts discussion. However, I have found that my preschooler (3.5 YO) struggles with the string and falling beads. To help him succeed and also entertain my 1.5 YO (who HAS to do everything his big brother does) I gave them pipe cleaners to string onto. They hold their shape and are easier to use as they can focus more on the actual stringing of the beads rather than trying to string and also hold the string. Instead of beads, I cut up the thick bubble tea straws and gave them a few different colours of the pieces.
-
- attempting ABC pattern
-
- toddler was able to leave the pipe cleaner on the table as he worked
Extensions:
- we spoke about patterns (A,B and A,B,C) although the ABC patterns were very challenging and he did not grasp the concept
- sorting and stringing (all the yellow ones then all the green ones etc.)
- using different things to bead, smaller
Eat. Sleep. Play. Blog 