Materials:
Pastel-colored plastic or wooden lacing beads
Three bamboo skewers
Small block of Styrofoam or floral foam
Small tray
Directions: Push the three skewers into your foam block and set the block on a tray. The skewers don’t have to be the same length. Set a small bowl of beads in front of your child, and invite her to thread beads onto the skewers. Your child is practicing her pincer grip each time she picks up a bead. (The pincer grip is instrumental to other small motor tasks like holding a pencil or zipping a zipper.) This activity also helps develop eye-hand coordination. Our eyes generally direct our hands in the completion of a task. This is a skill children come by naturally, but it takes practice to develop accuracy. That’s why small children know instinctively to hold out their arms to catch a ball, for instance, but they need practice to coordinate their movements to actually catch the ball. Similarly, it takes practice and focus to thread a bead on a skewer.