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Search Results for: threading

Threading yarn on a paper plate activity

June 14, 2019 by Kate Leave a Comment

I love that developing fine motor skills can be as simple as threading yarn on a paper plate. This is one of those activities can came about from my oldest daughter being ‘bored’. That’s when such great creativity happens. Recommended age: 3 years + (Strict and close supervision required on all ideas shared) I love […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, Art, Art & Craft, Craft, Fine Motor, Making

cardboard and straws for fine motor development and fun for kids

Fine motor threading activity using straws and cardboard tubes

May 4, 2018 by Kate 45 Comments

You know me, I thought I’d share with you a fun and educational activity that is also great for recycling some of the everyday things you might already have in your home. This is a simple, fine motor threading activity using straws and cardboard tubes.  Fine motor threading activity using straws and cardboard tubes Ever […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, busy bag, Fine Motor, Indoor play Tagged With: cardboard, fine motor, preschooler, recycling, straws, threading, toddler

Simple threading activity using cut straws and pipe cleaners

November 13, 2017 by Kate 7 Comments

When you’re looking for something quiet and productive for your children then you might want to try this simple threading activity using cut straws and pipe cleaners.    The concept is simple, children use their hands to thread various lengths of cut up plastic straws onto pipe cleaners.  That’s it. It might sound so incredibly […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, busy bag, Fine Motor, Indoor play, Play Tagged With: busy bag, indoor activity, pipe cleaner, preschooler, straws, threading, toddler

play dough pony beads

Threading pony beads on tree branches to build fine motor skills

August 25, 2017 by Kate 3 Comments

When your child is stuck indoors and looking for something fun to do then consider getting them to do an activity of threading pony beads on tree branches to build fine motor skills! It’s simple to set up and the decorated branches look stunning!  As our Winter season comes to an end here in Australia […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor, Indoor play

Threading activity for toddlers using cardboard beads

Threading activity for toddlers using large cardboard beads

February 17, 2017 by Kate 12 Comments

For some children, threading can be an incredibly difficult task. Small beads and undeveloped fine motor skills can make it incredibly challenging and cause them a lot of frustration. Instead, you might like to consider this threading activity for toddlers using large cardboard beads!  Boo (aged 2 years) loves all kinds of threading activities and […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Art & Craft, Fine Motor, Making Tagged With: cardboard, paper, preschool, threading, toddler

Pasta Threading - a fine motor activity for toddlers

Pasta threading activity for toddlers

March 16, 2014 by Kate 45 Comments

Here is a simple fine motor activity that I think your toddler will really enjoy. It’s very easy to set up and it involves them threading pasta onto straws, with the support of some freshly made play dough. Importance of fine motor skills in toddlers Fine motor skills involves the development of the smaller muscles […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, Fine Motor, Playdough Tagged With: fine motor, toddler

Weather lacing cards

June 1, 2020 by Kate 2 Comments

These themed weather lacing cards are not only gorgeous, but they can also many a great talking point when learning about different types of weather. Not only that, the threading process can also help children develop fine motor skills and an interest in the topic. This printable product, which you can purchase, makes a great […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Autumn / Fall, Craft, Fine Motor, Outdoor Activity, Printable, Spring, Winter Tagged With: fine motor, fine motor skills, lacing cards

Weather lacing cards

May 31, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Get your students hands on these gorgeous themed weather threading cards. Great to add to a literacy centre, complete at home or have on display in the classroom, these watercolor painted weather pieces will inspire conversation and develop fine motor skills.

 

22 indoor activities

22 Fun indoor activities for kids in home isolation

March 22, 2020 by Kate Leave a Comment

It doesn’t matter if you’re choosing to self-isolate because of the Coronavirus or you simply have no choice, I’ve got 22 fun indoor activities for kids in home isolation. We’re in this together and I really do hope that you find some helpful activities to do with your children. All these ideas are suitable for […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, busy bag, Indoor play

Fine motor ribbon and whisk activity

October 31, 2019 by Kate Leave a Comment

When you’re trying to get dinner on the table and you’re needing a quick and easy activity, have your child try this fine motor ribbon and whisk activity. You know me, I love when play ideas for kids is simple and not fancy. Give kids a set of pots and pans and they’re entertained for […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, activities for babies, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor Tagged With: fine motor, indoors

cardboard tube goat craft

Billy Goats Gruff craft idea for kids

March 28, 2018 by Kate 4 Comments

“The Three Billy Goats Gruff” is a traditional Norwegian Fairy Tale that is loved by children (and adults) all over the world. As a wonderful follow up to reading the story you might be interested in the Billy Goats Gruff craft idea for kids of school aged and beyond!  As a child I was always scared […]

Filed Under: 5 - 10 years, Art & Craft, Craft, Literacy, Pretend Play Tagged With: animal, cardboard, story

hole punch paper and confetti

Contact paper hole punch art for kids

March 17, 2018 by Kate 4 Comments

If you’re looking for an activity or piece of art that is fun to create with your toddler or preschooler then give this a go. It’s contact paper hole punch art for kids! It was a huge hit at our house.  Contact paper hole punch art for kids So after looking at lots of awesome […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, Fine Motor Tagged With: art, colours, fine motor, hole punch, paper

Spiky ball or spikey ball with loom bands and great for fine motor skills #finemotorskills #finemotor #playideas #funtoplay #lovetoplay #spikeyball #loombands #

Fine motor activity using a spiky ball and loom bands

February 13, 2018 by Kate 9 Comments

I was close to throwing them out when I found a brilliant new use for all the loom bands around my house. Setting up this fine motor activity using a spiky ball and loom bands was a huge hit with my girls and great for fine motor development.  Has the loom band craze hit your house? Possum […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, Fine Motor, Play Tagged With: fine motor, preschooler

fine motor egg carton activity for kids

Simple fine motor and colour sorting activity using an egg carton

October 18, 2017 by Kate 5 Comments

If you’re like me and prefer to make your own homemade toys and learning tools, try this simple fine motor and colour sorting activity using an egg carton. It took only minutes to make and it was great entertainment for my toddler. My children, Possum (aged 5.5 years) and Boo (2.5 years) absolutely love playing […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor, Indoor play Tagged With: fine motor, pompoms

threading material for fine motor skills with kids

Weaving on wire activity for fine motor development

June 27, 2017 by Kate Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for something different, here is a simple weaving on wire activity for fine motor development. It’s easy to set up in a home or classroom and the kids will spend a long time threading and weaving materials through it.  With Boo (aged 2.5 years) rocketing through her toddler years, I’m conscious that she […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, Fine Motor Tagged With: fine motor, material, threading, weaving

using straws in DIY homemade toy

Push and pull homemade toy box for children

June 13, 2017 by Kate 7 Comments

Here is a super simple push and pull homemade toy box you can make for children to play with. Using only a few materials that you’d find around your home or classroom, you can make this toy and it will be one that your child will have fun playing with and learn from many times over.  A […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor, Play Tagged With: box, fine motor, homemade, push and pull

pom pom mixture with rice

Fine Motor Pom Pom Pick Up Activity for Kids

March 10, 2017 by Kate 4 Comments

I’m so excited to share with you a fine motor pom pom pick up activity for kids. It’s set up is easy and the task in collecting the pom poms using tweezers and transferring them is often achievable for even as young as toddler age.  Boo (aged 2 years) loves a challenge and this simple […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor, Sensory Play, Uncategorized Tagged With: fine motor, pom poms, rice, sensory, tweezers

threading-and-playing

Simple fine motor play activity using pipe cleaners and a cooling rack

November 9, 2016 by Kate 13 Comments

Here is a simple fine motor play activity using pipe cleaners and a cooling rack. It’s super quick to set up, a great way to introduce basic threading to your child and you’ll be amazed at the final results. Your cooling rack will never have looked so pretty!  It’s always around dinner time that Possum (4.5 years) and […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years Tagged With: colours, fine motor skills, pipe cleaners

How to make felt star wands that are easy to make and lovely to give as a gift from a child.

Star felt play wand

July 18, 2016 by Kate 12 Comments

Handmade gifts are by far the best gift to give and receive. If you’re looking for a simple craft project to do yourself or one for your older child to make then have a go at making a beautifully whimsical star felt play wand. This homemade, hand stitched star felt play wand will ignite the creativity […]

Filed Under: 5 - 10 years, Art & Craft, Craft, featured, Gift Idea, Pretend Play, Uncategorized Tagged With: creative play, felt, gift idea, hand stitching, imaginary play, school aged, thread

Pom pom challenge using a straw and tape

April 26, 2016 by Kate 6 Comments

If you ever need a quick and simple activity to keep the kids busy, set up a pom pom challenge using a straw and tape. It’s great fun for kids of all ages and something children can do independently or as a group.  Don’t you just love those activities that keep the kids entertained for ages? […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for children, activities for preschoolers, Fine Motor, Indoor play, Play Tagged With: fine motor, games, indoors, simple set up

Simple sewing shapes using paper plates and yarn

Learn about shapes using paper plates and yarn

April 2, 2016 by Kate 29 Comments

This is a super fun preschool activity that will help your children learn about shapes using paper plates and yarn. You can add a bit of painting to the activity if you want to too! It basically rolls everything that a preschooler loves. This activity has been on my ‘to do’ list for a long time and Possum […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers Tagged With: colours, fine motor, painting, paper plates, shapes, threading

Decorating Minnie Mouse bows with gems

Minnie Mouse threaded garland

December 19, 2015 by Kate Leave a Comment

This is a fun craft activity that preschoolers will love to make over Christmas and that has been inspired by the world famous Minnie Mouse character from the Disney Junior channel, which can be viewed over on Foxtel. It’s a threading activity that will help develop fine motor skills and improve children’s understanding of patterns.  It […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Craft, Fine Motor, Sponsored Post

Digging for pipe cleaner worms. Fun activity in pretend mud.

Digging for worms

November 4, 2015 by Kate 14 Comments

Children seem almost programmed to love digging and seeking out interesting things in the ground. I remember as a child I would love digging for worms from the garden. Whilst getting hands dirty outdoors is lots of fun, this is a cute little indoor activity that will tap into your child’s imagination and help them […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor, Sensory Play, Sponsored Post Tagged With: beads, patterns, pipe cleaners, rice

Wooden toys with stacking rainbows make great gifts for kids

Wooden toys children would love to receive as a gift

November 3, 2015 by Kate 3 Comments

I recently received an email from someone asking what wooden toys children would love to receive as a gift and if there were any that I’d recommend. Wooden toys are certainly a great choice to make over plastic toys. I’m not rejecting children playing with plastic toys, all play is beneficial, but if budget allows then there are some reasons for […]

Filed Under: 0 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Christmas, Gift Idea, Parenting Tagged With: Amazon, creative, gift ideas, wooden toys

Disney Junior The Book of Once Upon A Time

August 24, 2015 by Kate 13 Comments

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Book Week in Australia, which is a time we celebrate authors and illustrators, as well as pay homage to wonderful characters and stories that capture our heart. With a passion for Disney, I was recently invited to a special behind the scenes filming of, ‘The Book of Once Upon […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Celebrate, Sponsored Post Tagged With: disney, screen time, sponsored post

threading beads for learning activity

Counting beads on pipe cleaners

July 25, 2015 by Kate 56 Comments

Using colourful pipe cleaners and beads you can set up a fun counting maths activity for kids. This is also really great for fine motor development and when it’s complete you can simply turn it into a busy bag that can be done at another time. Counting beads on pipe cleaners might seem simple enough, but it is […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, activities for children, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, busy bag, Fine Motor, Numeracy Tagged With: colours, counting, fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, numbers, ordering, threading

using shoe laces on this lacing board simply made at home

Simple homemade lacing board

July 4, 2015 by Kate 5 Comments

I’m so excited to share with you my simple homemade lacing board for kids. It’s so easy to make you only need a few things that you’ll have around the house. When your child plays with this simple lacing board they will develop fine motor skills while building an understanding of basic sewing skills.  This simple lacing board […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, activities for children, activities for preschoolers, activities for toddlers, Fine Motor Tagged With: 2 materials, colours, concentration, creativity, design, experimentation, fine motor, hand/eye coordination, homemade, preschooler, toddlers, trial error, weaving

Teach children to tie their shoelace

April 27, 2015 by Kate 26 Comments

Tying our shoes is something we do as adults and often without thinking. As children get older they also need to learn how to tie their own shoelaces independently. It can be challenging. Here is a simple tool that you can make at home can help teach children to tie their shoelace and have fun […]

Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Craft, Fine Motor, Parenting Tagged With: fine motor, how to, recycing

Fine motor exercise using newspaper

Fine motor exercise using newspaper

March 10, 2015 by Kate 6 Comments

Here is a simple and fun fine motor development exercise you can get your children to do at home or in the classroom. All you need is a single sheet of newspaper! It’s a fine motor exercise using newspaper!  As a classroom teacher of ten years, I’ve come across many children who need help in […]

Filed Under: 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Fine Motor Tagged With: fine motor

Daisy chain flowers

How to make a daisy chain headpiece

September 24, 2014 by Kate 20 Comments

Did you ever learn how to make a daisy chain headpiece as a child? I think it should be on every bucket list. In this post I thought I’d share with you simple instructions that your older children could do at home themselves.  We are experiencing some beautiful Spring weather and the flowers that are popping up […]

Filed Under: 5 - 10 years, Craft, Fine Motor, Spring Tagged With: fine motor, outdoors, spring

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Welcome
Hello and welcome!
My name is Kate and I am a mum to two little girls, Possum and Boo. We have lots of fun together learning with play at home and are pleased to share some of what we do with you.
Read my about page to find out more.

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