Threading pony beads on tree branches to build fine motor skills

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 my girls and I are slowly starting to pay more attention to the tiny buds of growth that are slowly and eagerly wanting to appear on tree branches. To make use of some of the old and broken branches, left over from a windy Winter, we decided to put them to use and decorate them with some brightly coloured pony beads.

Recommended age: 3 years +
(Strict and active supervision is required)

Threading pony beads on tree branches to build fine motor skills

My children love pony beads and secretly I do too. There is so many ways children can use them in play activities or for brightening up a craft. For this simple activity, which you can do indoors, you will need –

Tree branch (with thin branches)
Pony beads
Play dough

Simply balance the branch by using a ball of play dough in front of your child. Ensure there are no branches that are likely to cause your child to poke their eye as they work.

Gentle hands

Once everything is ready then you can simply ask your child to carefully thread the pony beads onto the tree branches. They will learn quite quickly that they need to take care with this as the branches can easily break and cause the pony beads to fall.

Creating patterns

Whilst creating patterns was too advanced a challenge for Boo (aged 2.5 years) she loved to try and get all the pony bead colours available to her onto the tree branch.

Older children could make various patterns using the coloured pony beads.

Counting

As Boo was doing this activity I took advnatage of her intense level of concentration and counted some of the beads aloud. Simply counting aloud to a child is great for developing their awareness of numbers and how they are ordered.

Fine Motor Skills

Of course, using pony beads with children instantly gets them working on their fine motor skills. The pinching action they need to hold the bead between their two fingers is great and required for them to complete the challenge.

If you’re stuck indoors, looking for something quick then give this a go. It requires very simple set up and it certainly kept my 2 year old occupied for a long time. The pony beads are so great for counting, in patterns and developing fine motor skills, which later helps with holding pencils to write etc.