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Bead Lacing
Beading can be a difficult fine and visual motor skill. It requires focus, attention to detail and resilience. Some may get discouraged if the sting frays or the bead falls off. It’s a balancing act that requires the use and cooperation of both hands simultaneously. While adults see beading as an opportunity to develop hand-eye coordination, explore math skills (in pattern play), and strengthen fine motor skills (the pincer grip), children see this as fun play! In exploring beading, children are using their imagination which enables creativity to flow. Beads on a sting can become animals, letters, jewelry, food, and so much more!
Materials
- Colorful Pony Beads
- Shoelace or Yarn (careful because yarn might fray)
How To
- Separate the beads by color in a sorting tray, or place them all in a shallow dish
- Tie a knot at the end of the sting and see what happens!
Skills
Hand-eye Coordination
Pincer grip
Fine motor
Tips with Miss Charlotte
When responding to any “work” that Joy has done, I like to use these three phrases “I see,” “I notice,” “I wonder.” (See link to blog) For example: “I see you are working really hard, and focusing on getting the green bead on the orange string.” If the bead keeps falling, I might say “I’m noticing that it’s frustrating you.” Then to validate her feelings and help encourage resilience I would say, “It feels hard, because it is hard but you can do hard things!”
I would also engage in conversation, “I wonder what color bead you will string next?” Now, mind you, not everything a child does is intentional. They might just string random beads because they finally got the hang of beading and it feels good to be successful! Maybe one day you notice they are purposely using specific colors or you see intention in their play. You can then say, “I’m noticing….tell me more about it.” Children want to be seen and heard. Giving open-ended statements such as “tell me more,” instead of “great job,” allows for a conversation to occur!
Enjoyed these DIY projects?
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