Sometimes, keeping it simple is the best way to invite a child to play. A simple tray of multicolored beads and a few pipe cleaners kept lu very busy for a long time. It's great fine motor practice and Lucy had fun bending them into all sorts of fun shapes.
As children gain confidence in their stringing skills you can start introducing concepts like pattern making and color sorting. This activity isn't just for the littles. We used to love beads and string bracelets well into middle school. Bring back the basics for a little while and watch our children thrive.
Prompts to further play when it slows down (adjust to colors that you have):
"Can you bend it into a circle? Can you make a dog? What other shapes can you bend the pipecleaner in?"
"Can you make a rainbow?"
"Can you make one that is all green?"
"What is your favorite color? Can you make a purple necklace?"
If you try out this activity, I would love to hear how it goes! It's so simple and so much fun, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Want to shop this post? The links below are amazon affiliate links, meaning, if you clickity over to amazon and purchase something, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Any compensation from the link goes right into Lucy's warrior fund to help us, help her, battle retinoblastoma. You can follow along on her journey using her hashtag, #lucythewarrior on facebook and instagram. xo
We used mixed shades of green beads in honor of St. Patrick's Day but a rainbow set is always a good idea!
We used White Pipe Cleaners but if you want to do color matching a rainbow set is perfect for you!
