As parents, we all want our children to develop a wide range of skills and abilities. One area that is particularly important for young children is their motor skills, which lay the foundation for many other aspects of physical and cognitive development. Fortunately, there is a variety of fun and engaging activities that can help children improve their motor skills, including a popular Montessori activity: threading and making necklaces. In this blog post, we’ll explore this activity and how it can benefit your child’s development, while also providing some tips and ideas for making the most of this fun and educational activity.
Threading and Making Necklaces
Suitable Age: 3+
Materials:
- A tray consisting of a small basket
- Various sizes/colors of beads with a hole in the center
- A few trick strings with a knot at the end
- A mat
Direct Aim:
- To be able to make a colorful necklace
Indirect Aim:
- Refinement of the muscles in the hand
- Concentration
- Perseverance
- Hand-eye coordination
- Independence
Presentation/ Child instruction:
- Ask the child to choose a string from the basket
- Once the child has decided, she will pass the string to the teacher-guide
- Begin by selecting one bead from the basket and slowly slipping it through the string. Slowly push the bead down the string until it reaches the knot in the bottom.
- After a few beads have been added to the string, invite the child to try.
- Once the string is full of beads, hold the necklace up to the child and say “Wow, look at the beautiful necklace you have made!”.
- After which, you can invite the child to begin removing the beads from the string one at a time. Once finished, invite her to make another necklace.
Point of interest:
The various colors, sizes, and shapes of the beads, the strings, and making a necklace
Control of Error:
- Difficulty being able to push the bead through the string
- Difficulty completing the activity
- Dropping necklaces and spilling beads
- Unable to remove the beads from the string
- Forgetting to tidy up
>> Read more: Unlock Your Child’s Motor Skills with a Fun Montessori Activity: Dry Pouring (Solid)