Easy Fine Motor Activity: Pipe Cleaner Party!

Looking to add to your repertoire of quick and easy activities for littles? Keep this one in your pocket for a rainy day (or let's face it, a triple-digit day). 

It's a pipe cleaner party! This is our absolute favorite type of activity: small amount of work for the adult, big entertainment and learning value for the child. 

This one has exactly three materials: pipe cleaners, a colander, and beads. 

Threading the pipe cleaners through the colander holes is a great fine motor activity for younger children. Model once or twice by sticking a pipe cleaner into the colander, and then let them take the lead. 

While older kids will probably enjoy the colander activity too, they'll also enjoy making bracelets, keychains, etc. with beads (just make sure your child is past the point of putting beads in their mouth! If they're not, stick with the colander for now). 

Easy peasy! 

Benefits for the child:

-Fine motor skills

-Hand/eye coordination

-Concentration

-Vocabulary (Engage in dialogue with your child. "Is the pipe cleaner fuzzy?" "Can you make it bend?" "Let's count how many beads are on your bracelet," etc.)

-Patterns ("Can you make me a bracelet with a pattern?")

-Creativity (I bet your child comes up with some crafty ideas that didn't occur to you!) 

Join us Saturday, July 14th, 10AM to 6PM, for our very own pipe cleaner party! We'll have these activities set up in our back room. Included in typical playspace drop-in rates. Or try it out at your home! Keep an eye on our events calendar for this and other fun activities. 

Looking for some toys to boost your child's fine motor skills? Here's a few of our favorites: Grimm's First Thread Game, Jumbo Glow in the Dark Magnatab, Young Artist's Textured Paint Set, and Squigz.