pop beads

Maddy received this awesome set of Pop Beads by Parents as a gift this past year, and we’ve been using them more lately to (secretly) work on everyone’s (okay, Owen’s) fine motor skills.

These are not the pop beads of my childhood, mind you; these Pop Beads are much more amazing–different sizes and shapes of beads, unusual textures on the beads, and tiny bracelets, rings, and necklace attachments so that little designers can now create more than I could have ever dreamed of as a kid.

• Pop Beads: While Maddy was busy beautifying herself with bead-y bracelets, necklaces, and rings, Owen and I were talking about what patterns we could make and who could make the longer rope (please note: they’re not necklaces when you’re “beading” with a 3-year-old boy. . . ).

Here are some other things we did as we were creating:

• sorted the beads into color piles;
• sorted the beads into shape piles (okay, and then crashing cars into them);
• created color patterns;
• created bead-shape patterns;
• challenged each other to make the easiest–then toughest–pattern (as long as we can justify the pattern, it works!);
• made “tracks” and “parking spots” for Matchbox cars;
• tried to make the longest single-color then crazy-colored bead ropes; etc.

And that’s it–easy, fun, simple play–all in the short time before rest, disguised as fun but secretly very worthwhile. Sorting–you know I love it–is so, super important for little brains–consider using beans, bugs, letters, colors, toys, food–anything at all really. And anything to help improve fine motor skills will help with scissor use and that pesky tripod grip which is a skill that must be taught. Not all kiddos naturally pick that one up.

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