Spaghetti Threading
Spaghetti threading is a great activity for fine motor development which is required to carry out day to day activities such as doing up buttons, doing shoelaces, drawing, and eventually writing. This activity requires precision and a delicate touch - because of the brittle nature of the spaghetti they can easily snap!
The spaghetti does have some springiness, but if your child is finding this too challenging you can also use straws with penne and try again with the spaghetti when they are a little bit older.
Materials:
Playdough
Spaghetti
Dry pasta with a hole to thread through. The smaller the pasta the more dexterity required.
Container for the pasta
How to set up:
Create a stable base with a large bit of playdough.
Stick a few pieces of spaghetti firmly into the playdough. Angle them to ensure there is enough space between them.
Demonstrate by taking one piece of pasta, slowly and carefully threading on to one of the pieces of spaghetti.
Our son was 22 months old in this video
Great for:
Hand-eye coordination is required in everyday tasks such as grasping objects, handwriting, playing games, eating and cooking. As with other body skills, hand-eye coordination can be practised and improved upon. This development begins in infancy.
Fine Motor Skills involve the small muscles working with the brain in order to control small movements. Developing fine motor skills helps children do things like eating, writing and getting dressed.
Bilateral coordination is when two sides of the body are being used at the same time to carry out an activity. Many daily self-care and play activities require bilateral coordination skills including eating, getting dressed, tying shoelaces, playing sports, running, walking and skipping.
Focus and concentration help children to learn. Most skills are learned by practising them over and over, so being able to block out distractions and focus on particular tasks will help the rate in which they learn.
*This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links at no additional cost to you.