I’m thrilled to share with you my DIY tugging box for fine motor development.
Give a toddler a box of tissues or baby wipes and you can be sure that within seconds they end up all over the floors. I know you know what I’m talking about – hahaha.
It is part of a child’s natural response to pull at things and to see what happens. It also doesn’t matter how many times they receive the same outcome, they continue to test theories and experiment.
With this in mind I’ve made a tugging box. It’s so simple to make at home and it will have your little one entertained and learning through play in no time.
Materials
- Cardboard box
- Various lengths of ribbon, strips of felt and/or pipe cleaners
- Sticky tape
- Pencil
- Paint (optional)
How to make a DIY tugging box for young toddlers
- Puncture holes into a box and paint
- Thread various lengths of ribbon through two holes and tie knots at the ends. Use a pipe cleaner (as shown above) to help with threading.
- Seal box with tape
Cause and Effect
I wanted to create a cause and effect response when Possum used this box. I threaded each end of ribbon through two different holes (see middle image above).
I made sure there was going to be enough length so that when Possum tugged at one end it would cause the ribbon to lengthen but shorten on the opposite end.
Sensory Experience
The various ribbons, felt strips and large pipe cleaners created a wonderful sensory experience too.
Little Possum took lots of time feeling the textures and the little knots that were created on the ends.
Fine Motor Skills and Hand / Eye co-ordination
As an added task to this tugging box I gave Possum a few pipe cleaners so she could build on her hand/eye co-ordination as well as her fine motor skills.
Concentrating and aiming the ends into the vacant holes was the aim of the game.
Through trial and error she found that by holding the pipe cleaner at the end and closer to the hole she would have greater success.
Investigation & Exploration
Children often like to investigate to know why and how something works. I chose to satisfy Possum’s curiosity and allow her to see what was happening within the box at the conclusion of this activity.
So much learning can be achieved by making a simple tugging box for young toddlers.
Does your toddler like to pull at things?
More ideas you’ll love –
Popular ebooks featuring Laughing Kids Learn
This is such a simple but clever idea! You come up with such great ones! And yes, my kids have been known to pull all the tissues from the box!
I knew people would understand where I was coming from with the whole tissue comment. LOL
Thanks for your kind comment Kelly.
I keep saying this about many of the Aussie play posts…but I just wish you were around when my kids were little!
Oh that is such a lovely thing to say Kelly, thank you. What a compliment. I’m sure you would have done some terrific things with your children when they were little.
Thank you so much for commenting.
This is a fantastic idea for littlies! I’m going to pin it!
Thanks so much for the pin. My little girl ADORED this idea and has asked for it everyday since we used it.
Thanks for your comment.
As an OT I love this idea for some preschoolers! If you come up with an idea for a stronger box, I’d like to add some ropes & coated chains as well!
Great idea
You have the most creative little kiddy play ideas
Love it
Thank you so kindly Nae. My mind is always racing to think of the next idea. I’m sure you are exactly the same. Thanks for your comment.
This looks like a great way to upcycle ribbons from presents.
Thank you so much and what a sensational idea! Much of what I used were recycled ribbons. 🙂
I very much appreciate your comment. 🙂
This is such a cool idea! I bet it kept her busy for ages!
I love when an idea works! Possum was really curious about her little tugging box and was asking for the for many days after. Love that. 🙂
Thanks for your comment Kate.
This looks like a fantastic activity and something I’d love to make but as with everything else, my son has an attention span of 1-2 minutes so I don’t know how long it’d last
It can always be something your little one can play with a revisit as his interest returns. Have it in his play area and all those little moment of learning will add up. 🙂
Thanks for your comment Eva.
I love this!! It’s ingenius!! Li’l Peppa would absolutely love this!! Thanks for sharing – will share an image on instagram when we do this!! 🙂 Can’t wait!
Thanks so much Bek. Can’t wait to see the image (but no pressure obviously) X
Jack’s OT made him one of these to work on his pincer grip. Such an engaging activity 🙂
Really???? Here I was thinking I was super original. Shattered! Oh well, Possum loved it.
Thanks Kate
This is a great idea! I love DIY baby toys, I’ll be passing this idea on to my friend with a baby 🙂
DIY baby toys are the best! Thanks for sharing this idea Kate.
Hi Kate! This si just so clever! I love all the resistance, problem solving, and fine-motor action!Tthanks for stopping by an sharing on our page today. I’ve pinned and tweeted. 🙂
Thank you kindly Heather.
Brilliant as always. Wish I had a baby… Let me think on that more. LOL
Do it Penny 🙂 lol…
This is too brilliant Kate. Too clever and fun. xo P
So much fun Pauline. It’s great when your ideas work. LOL
Going to feature this as part of my fine motor activities round up this week Kate because it totally ROCKS! 🙂 Thanks for linking it up to the Kids Co-Op. xo P
Hi Kate, thanks for the fantastic idea! I made one but my daughter (10 months old) didn’t like it as much as I thought she would. I’ll just keep it in the storage and take it out sometime later..maybe she’ll like it when she’s older.
Hi Derrick!
Good on you for being an active parent and making your own tugging box for your daughter. It’s always so tricky to know how little ones will respond. Something I make or do things for Possum, which I think are absolutely brilliant but she shows no interest or uses it in a way that I never intended. I think you can only try and so that’s great.
Possum is 20 months old so hopefully your daughter will get more from it when she’s a little older. Please allow me to suggest a few other ideas to you from my blog.
Disappearing Act https://www.laughingkidslearn.com/2013/03/the-disappearing-act.html
Tube Play https://www.laughingkidslearn.com/2013/05/tube-play.html
Baby Collage https://www.laughingkidslearn.com/2013/04/baby-collage.html
Thanks so much for your comment Derrick.
Kate
This is all kinds of awesome. Pinning 🙂
I bet my Baby Ike would love this at the moment. He is so good with his hands and I;m always looking for new ways for him to use them 🙂
Such a cute idea and so do-able for people as well. Must be why it was so popular on fb! 😀
This is FABULOUS! What a clever idea, I love that you can use all sorts of colours and textures and change out the fabrics to whatever you like to keep it interesting. Fantastic play idea for a baby, too awesome.
Love this Kate and have already pinned a few times! Your little bubba is getting so big isn’t she? Bet she had so much fun with this.
Awesome! I’m going to try this. Running out of tissue boxes and wet wipes packs for my 17.5 month old!
Thanks for the idea! I made it for my 18-month old daughter and it kept her exploring and very entertained for a good while. Great learning activity and easy to make!
Wow, love it! Coincidently we did something similar the other day (but to be honest, yours is way cooler than mine!) xx
This is a really fantastic idea!! Hope to share some ideas with you soon.
Simple yet incredible! Love the idea 🙂
I have a daycare and do many motor skill activities and have not thought of this. What a creative mind you have. Can’t wait for my little ones to try this out! Thank you
Thank you so kindly Phyllis! I have a few similar ideas coming up so be sure to keep your eyes out for them. 🙂
Hubby and I just made one. Can’t wait for morning to see if DS1 loves it!
Fantastic!!! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
A big success! 😀
Great idea for the little ones! I might just try this later.
Wonderful! Let me know how you go. 🙂
This is such a great idea! And yes on the tissue front, we have to more careful with our tissue boxes than our wires! My 18 month old could sit for hours with a tissue box. We will most definitely be making this!
Thank you Olivia! Let me know how you go.
I’m totally making this 🙂 thank you for the post.
P.s. research the position in which your tiny stays, I read something awful about it. Very bad for the hips. Very, very bad.
Thank you again for the idea 🙂
Hi Ivona!
Thank you for your comments. I hope your own tugging box is a great success.
I appreciate your concern over her sitting position and will look into it.
I will be making this soon maybe using the cord off of gift bag handles. Do you think adding a weight onto some of the cords to automatically pull them back in would be OK or would it just confuse the concept you are trying to teach?
Hi Andrea! Thanks for your comment and I’m so thrilled you’re going to give this idea a go. I adore your idea of using the cords off gift bag handles! I have so many around the house. You could absolutely add weight to the cords if you wanted to. It would still teach them about cause and effect, when they pull the cord then it results in it disappearing into the box. I guess with the way I designed this idea it is more that they can visually see that by pulling one end they can actually see another end disappearing. If it were me, I’d keep it simple because you might gain more as a result, however, it’s absolutely not imperative. Best wishes with it Andre and feel free to get back to me and let me know how you got on. 🙂 Thanks again for your comment.
I found this post and just had to try it. I’m looking for educational ideas for my 6 month old to help keep him busy while I homeschool his sister. The only thing I did different is I bought a sturdy plastic box with holes already in it from Dollar Tree and then tied big wood beads to the ends so all his furious tugging wouldn’t undo my work. I also for added safety hot glued the knots and beads. He LOVES his box and has more fun shaking it to hear the beads clack then anything right now.
Amanda I absolutely LOVE your thinking. Thank you so kindly for sharing your experience and how you have personalised this idea to suit your little one. My little Possum, now 2.5 years old, still loves her tugging box. Best wishes to you.
I love this idea! It is so creative and perfect for toddlers. I wish I knew about your idea when ours were that age. They are now 3 1/2. I can make one for my niece and they can help me. I am pinning it.
Thank you so kindly for your comment Theresa! 🙂
This is such a great idea and one the will keep the little one’s busy for a while!
Thanks for sharing 😉
Thank you kindly!
Hi, not for post. You have a spelling mistake. “Test her patients” (patience)
Just signed up. I really like some of your ideas. Yep I’m a pedant but please don’t be offended.
Kindest regards
Don
You’re a star Don, thank you kindly for pointing that out (and signing up). Much appreciated. 🙂
Great idea! Could i ask what DIY stands for?
Thanks Leanne
Thanks Leanne. Absolutely, DIY stands for ‘Do It Yourself’, so it’s not something you’d buy from the shop, you’d make it yourself.
I appreciate your comment Leanne. 🙂
What kind of paint did you use? I’m a grandma, making this tugging box for my granddaughter (14 months old.) Great idea!
Hello Libby. I used a basic acrylic paint, but anything goes really. You could decorate it with stickers or whatever you have handy! Thanks for your comment and I hope you and your granddaughter have a great time playing with it. 🙂