Toddlers are always enthusiastic about learning. Take advantage of their curiosity. Introduce them early to math and science concepts. This activity aids in the development of their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
When toddlers start school they will be taught to read and write. Exposing your child to activities that strengthen their hands will help them get ready to hold a pencil before even going to school.
Activities like playing with small objects which make them use their pincher fingers are great at strengthening those tiny hands.
You can use varied materials based on availability. (Disclaimer: This activity should be strictly supervised by an adult. Depending on what you choose to use for this exercise, it could involve tiny materials that are choking hazard. PLEASE WATCH YOUR CHILD while doing this.) You can use beads, beans, small pasta or if you like it to be more colorful and fun like I do; you can use orbeez or water beads.
Esperanza had so much fun doing this activity. She isa water lover, so I gave her what she wanted for motivation. We used a 28 qt Sterilite plastic container as our water table.
There are water box or sandbox tables that are especially made for kids. I always try to find affordable hacks. I’ve seen those water tables for kids priced between $40 and $250. It is too pricey for me. I didn’t want to spend much on something like that.
We already have a kiddie table which is perfect for her height. We use the table to hold the Sterilite container that I used for her activity. The only thing I paid for was a jar of orbeez for $8 from amazon which was actually a leftover from last summer.
Esperanza was extremely excited to see how science worked by changing the tiny hard orbeez to soft colorful beads or balls. She was watching it grow for an hour. When it was big enough to pick up, I gave her a couple of containers to transfer the beads and sort them out by colors.
As she was sorting them out, I had her count the beads. I saw how she was having difficulty picking up the tinier orbeez which was really good for her as she was able to practice her pincher fingers.
P.S.
My Sterlite cost me $4.99 at Target which you might already have at home. Again, the choice is yours. You can buy or you can DIY.
MIXED KNOT 