Toddler “Beads”

Kidster, Hubster and I were visiting Auntie A and her family recently.  Kidster found an MP3 player and headphones and started trying to put the headphone cord into the jack.  I realized that she was ready for a few more complicated toys especially ones that help develop her small muscle motor skills.

You only need two items.  Both can be found at the Dollar Store.  A shoestring and a pool noodle.  Pretty simple to find almost anywhere especially during the summer season.

Using a serrated knife cut the noodle into ‘bead’ shapes. I cut ours into about an inch width but I think next time I’d make them thinner.  You want the end of the shoelace to go all the way through the bead so the child can grasp the other end when threading it through.

We use the ‘beads’ to learn small muscle manipulations, colors, numbers, and counting.  As she starts to learn more about numbers and letters I’ll use a sharpie marker to write numbers and letters on the beads so we can put them in order.

Kidster will ask for the ‘bead’ to play with all the time.  Be sure that your child is past the stage of having to put everything in their mouth!  

What is YOUR favorite kid craft?

~Lisa