Threading beads onto a piece of uncooked pasta is a fun way for toddlers and preschoolers to strengthen their fine-motor skills. All you need is some uncooked spaghetti, pony beads and some playdough to use as a base to hold the spaghetti upright.
Because my daycare caters to toddlers and preschoolers, we do a lot of fine motor activities here.
Playdough is great for fine motor development
Playing with playdough is one of my favourite ways to help the hooligans develop their fine motor skills.
Playing with play dough helps strengthen fine motor skills in many ways. All that rolling, squeezing, pinching and patting is great for little hands and fingers.
Today, we’re using playdough for a fine motor activity but the playdough is secondary to the actual activity.
We’re using the play dough to hold a piece of pasta so the kids can stack pony beads on it.
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Supplies:
- dry spaghetti
- pony beads
- play dough
If you don’t have pony beads
If you don’t have pony beads, your children could thread Cheerios or Fruit Loops onto their spaghetti noodle.
This activity presented quite the challenge for the 2 year olds, but they did well with it.
How to do this fine motor activity:
To do the activity, simply stick some spaghetti noodles into a base of playdough. You can just make your base by rolling your playdough into a ball or you can use cookie cutters to make a shaped base.
Once your pasta is pressed into the playdough, have your child thread their beads onto it.
The activity helps develop pincer grip as kids need to handle the bead with their thumb and forefinger in order to get it onto the spaghetti.
Hand eye co-ordination is challenged as well when lining up the hole in the bead with the spaghetti.
Something else that makes the activity challenging is that uncooked spaghetti is quite fragile and snaps easily when it’s not handle with care. The children quickly learned that they needed a gentle touch for this activity.
Colour Identification and Counting
While your child is threading their beads onto the pasta, you can talk about the colours that she’s choosing and she can practice counting as she selects and stacks her beads.
Older children can estimate how many beads will fit on a length of spaghetti, and they can work on patterning.
Need a good play dough recipe?
If you’re looking for a good recipe for homemade play dough, I use the The Imagination Tree’s No-cook Playdough. It’s the best. We can leave it out for hours, and it doesn’t dry up. It will stay soft or months when stored in an air tight container.
More Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Beginner Scissor Activities with Interesting Materials
- Fine Motor Button Snake
- Fine Motor Cardboard DropBox
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Sue
I love this idea! I would never have thought of putting pony beads and pasta together! You do think out of the box! I feel like rushing off setting it up for my Pre primarys i will have next week! I think they would enjoy it as well
Thanks for sharing
Sue
Jack
Thank you
boymamateachermama
Thanks for sharing at After School!
Guru
Wow nice activity for toddlers
Supraja Lakshmi N
Hi Jackie, This is such a fun and easy activity for kids! I love how you used playdough and pasta to create different shapes and patterns. It’s a great way to develop fine motor skills, creativity and imagination. My kids enjoyed making their own pasta sculptures and they were so proud of their creations. Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea!
Jackie Currie
Terrific! I’m so glad your children enjoyed it!
gayathri kl
Dear Jackie Currie,
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for your remarkable blog post on “Threading Beads on Uncooked Spaghetti – Fine Motor Activity.” This activity has been an absolute game-changer for my child’s fine motor development, and I am incredibly grateful to have stumbled upon your blog.
Your step-by-step instructions were incredibly clear and easy to follow. From gathering the materials to guiding my child through the activity, everything was well-explained, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience. The inclusion of helpful tips and suggestions for variations added an extra layer of creativity and adaptability, allowing us to tailor the activity to my child’s specific needs and interests.
What truly sets your blog apart is the thoughtfulness you put into selecting activities that are both engaging and educational. Threading beads not only fosters fine motor skills but also promotes focus, concentration, and cognitive development. It’s a wonderful way to introduce colors, patterns, and counting concepts in a hands-on and interactive manner.
I am deeply grateful to you for sharing this incredible activity and your expertise with us. Your commitment to providing valuable resources and ideas for children’s development is truly commendable. You’ve enriched our lives and provided countless families with an engaging and educational experience. I eagerly look forward to exploring more of your blog and discovering new gems that will continue to inspire and captivate my students at Cherubs Montessori School.
https://www.cherubsmontessori.com/
With heartfelt appreciation,
Gayathri KL
Jackie Currie
Gayathri, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely feedback. It warms my heart to know that that the simple crafts and activities we do here in my daycare inspire others and help little ones all over the world are having fun while learning and developing new skills. I’m so happy that you found us, and that you consider my blog to be a valuable resource. x
EtonHouse
THANKYOU FOR SHARING.