Five Easy Ways to Use Grimm's Beads

We have some important news to share with you: Grimm's beads don't get enough love. They just don't! These toys are versatile, simple, and will be used for years. 

Is there anything better than the toddler-lip-stuck-out-in-concentration thing? 

So, we decided to write a quick blog post showing you some fun ways to use them and to convince you to add these to your toy shelf. 

1. Threading. This is probably what comes to mind when you think of beads as a toy. It truly is a fantastic task for young children. It's a big fine motor challenge for them, and great for hand-eye coordination. It also teaches patience and resilience. My daughter is 2 years and 9 months and is just now able to thread the Grimm's Large Beads on a string. If your kiddo is struggling with threading, we suggest sticking some sturdy pipe cleaners in a colander. This more stable "thread" will make it easier and less frustrating. 

2. Counting. Grab your beads any time you need counters. Counters are used for, well, counting, but also for visualizing later math skills such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. (Did you know I used to be a math teacher? It's true!)

3. Stacking. I'd say this is an "advanced" bead skill! Give your big kids a challenge and see if they can stack more than four (that was tough for me!). I'd definitely recommend the large size for this. The large beads are slightly smaller than the Grimm's small balls. Mind blown, I know. But just FYI. 

4. Color sorting. Beads are what I would call a "vocabulary rich" toy. They easily give you opportunities to discuss so many things with your kiddos-- colors, numbers, shapes, and a ton more. We already have a Grimm's rainbow, so it was fun sorting these beads into their appropriate rainbow home. 

5. Patterns. Exploring patterns is a great pre-math skill (So many patterns in math. So many!) and beads are a fun way to introduce them. 

Beads are also great "loose parts." Ours often fill up dump trucks, act as food, and even dabble in play dough. (It's okay-- your toys can get dirty!)

We hope this gave you guys a few easy bead play ideas. Check out our collection of Grimm's beads here. 

-Suzanne

P.S. Use code BEADS15 for 15% off any Grimm's beads set, through 8-30-21.