Fine motor activity using a spiky ball and loom bands

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 (aged 6 years) is absolutely in love with them and she makes endless bracelets, rigs and balls with them. 

To extend the way she played with them (I already owned about 2,000 loom band bracelets) I set up a little fine motor activity using the loom bands and one of our spiky balls. The attraction to this set up was instant and soon enough both girls were getting creative in a way that I didn’t expect. 

Recommended age:  2.5 years +
(Strict and active supervision is required at all times)

Fine motor activity using a spiky ball and loom bands

To do this fine motor activity you will need – 

• loom bands
• spiky ball

It really is as simple as it seems. Children use the spikes on the spiky ball to stretch the loom bands and hold them in place. Of course you could use regular elastic bands and have your child stretch them over a larger ball. That could work too. 

After some time you’ll no doubt find your child becoming more and more creative and using their fingers and fine motor skills to stretch the bands to make shapes, numbers, letters and more! 

This activity is excellent for developing – 

• problem solving skills
• hand and eye coordination
• fine motor skills
• creative thinking
• and more! 

Extend this activity

This activity could also be extended by asking your child to stretch the loom bands to encase a specific number of bumps on the spiky ball. Maybe they could create a patterns using the spiky ball. The possibilities are endless. 

So next time you’re cursing the existence of loom bands, consider setting up this simple fine motor activity for your child. They will certainly be entertained and give their fingers a great work out at the same time. We will certainly be doing this activity again sometime soon. 

Please tell me I’m not alone in the loom band craze? 

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