Here’s another fun activity to help develop children’s fine motor skills! In this activity, they will have to carefully hold the string and insert the beads. You may be surprised to learn what a tedious job this actually is! A lot of children still have difficulty holding the string properly, others cannot figure out how to pull out the string from the other end of the bead, and still others, cannot figure out how to insert the string. Hence, their problem-solving skills were also tapped in the process.
Some children managed to get it done. Some tried experimenting and finally figured it out. Others, asked for the teachers help in figuring it out. One way or another, they were able to get it done, and their fine motor skills were exercised well. Why don’t you try it?
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What you will need:
- Glue
- Scissors
- Rubber Band (optional)
- Stapler
- Transparent Tape
- Magazines (preferably those with glossy pages)
- Yarn or Ribbon
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Step 1: Tear out around 3-5 pages from the magazine, depending on the thickness of each page (Be sure that it isn’t too thick, else you might have a hard time cutting it later on)
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Step 2: Staple the pages together on one side
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Step 3: Glue the flaps together to prevent them from separating later on
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Step 4: Roll the magazine (Begin with the stapled side)
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Step 5: Place rubber bands around it until the glue dries up OR you may also wrap the rolled up magazine with transparent/packaging tape. This not only holds the pages together, but also adds shine/gloss to the end product.
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Step 6: Cut out the magazine roll. The length of each “bead” may vary depending on your style
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Step 7: Let the children practice their fine motor skills by making their magazine necklaces! Do let them try to experiment and figure things out, however, if things become too difficult, it’s okay to intervene.
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Here, we tied 3 pieces of yarn together for a nicer end product. If you wish to do this, just don’t forget to put tape on the end so the child will not have more difficulty inserting the beads. Also, we taped the yarn to the table to prevent all the beads from falling to the floor.
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Step 8: Let the kids model around with their necklaces!
Other Suggestions:
You may also try lacing macaroni! I tried this in the past and the end product was really nice. The pasta however is a lot smaller than the magazine rolls and might be better for older children instead.
