Penne pasta, from our One-Pot Penne alla Vodka recipe, makes a great tool for tuning fine motor skills in young children. Grab some dried noodles and some string for a threading activity that may just turn into noodle jewelry!
Fine motor development refers to how the muscles of the hands and fingers work together. We need strong fine motor skills to do things like write, cut, use a fork and spoon, manipulate a zipper and tie our shoes…things we all want our children to learn to do by themselves!
Once children develop strong fine motor skills, their muscles are strong enough that they can use a “pincer grip” (using their thumb and index finger) to hold things like a zipper or a shoelace. We can play a role in helping them strengthen their fine motor skills with activities like using a squeeze bottle to decorate cookies or make frozen yogurt drops, or threading!
For this activity, you’ll need…
- dried pasta, such as the penne that we used in our One-Pot Penne alla Vodka recipe. For smaller children, like those of Em’s age whose fine motor skills are still developing, you can also try pasta shapes with larger holes, such as rigatoni, wagon wheels or even manicotti!
- string for threading
- Cut a length of string. If your child wants to turn their threading string into jewelry, make sure you cut an appropriate length for a bracelet or a necklace.
- Tie a piece of pasta onto one end with a double knot, so the other pieces don’t fall right off as your child threads.
- Demonstrate how to hold the string with one hand and use your other hand to thread the pasta onto the string, and then pull it through.
Some modifications for younger children…
- An adult or older child can hold the string pointing up or sideways while the younger child places the pasta on the string. Then show them how to pull the string through.
- Use a pipe cleaner, instead of string. One of my favorite blogs for kid activity ideas, The Imagination Tree, suggested this because pipe cleaners are easier to hold and won’t bend as your child is threading.
Some modifications for older children…
- Extend the activity by coloring the pasta first! Babble Dabble Do (cutest name for a blog ever!) posted a video on How to Dye Pasta.
- Use different pasta shapes and encourage your kids to thread different patterns: 1 penne, 2 wagon wheels, 1 penne, 2 wagon wheels…etc.
When your child is done threading their noodles, they will inevitably want to turn their creations into jewelry…either for themselves or for you! Em was very proud to wear hers around and still puts it on at least once a day since we did this activity.
We’ll keep doing this sort of activity for many months to come, not only because it will help strengthen her fine motor skills, but because it’s also a way to help keep her little hands busy while dinner finishes cooking!
For more information on fine motor development in early childhood, including tips for teaching your child the proper pencil and scissor grips, visit School Sparks.
Disclaimer: As with all of our activities, my suggestions for how kids can get involved are based on what has worked in our home. Your child may be able to do more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising and engaging with kids that are participating in learning activities.
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