There are so many skills and concepts that kids work on while fine motor weaving. Kids don’t necessarily realize that when they are weaving. Kids fun activities don’t have to feel like work. They can just feel like creating.
Open Ended Kids Fun
A simple dish drainer and some colored ribbon were all that we used for this kids fun fine motor weaving activity. I left this activity open ended. There wasn’t a set of directions put out with it. It was more of an invitation to learn and create.
A yard of each of the colors ribbon was placed in a plastic bowl along with the dish draining mat on the kitchen table. ( I found the mat at Dollar Tree!)
I sat at the table doing something else and JDaniel wandered in and started weaving. Due to the fact that this kids fun activity was open ended we were able to chat as the ribbon went up and down through the slats of the dish drainer. When one ribbon ran out, a new length of ribbon was used. I think it ended up looking great.
Younger children may need quiet as the weave. Chatting would distract them and may even frustrate them. Putting the material out of a workspace and letting them find them would be fine.
Skill Focused Fine Motor Weaving
You could easily give oral or visual directions to children as to what you want them to create.
Here are some ideas I came up with:
- They could weave every other row on the dish draining mat.
- You could have them weave three rows in each color of ribbon with an empty row in between each color.
- You could cut the ribbons into one-foot lengths. The kids fun might we creating an ABC, AABC, or an ABBC pattern with the shorter lengths of ribbon.
- Kids could create vertical patterns with the ribbon.
- The ribbon could be woven vertically and horizontally.
- Kids could have fun replicating designs that you have taken photos and put out for them to look at.
As you can see the possibilities are endless. I bet you can come up with your own ideas of how kids can use these materials for fine motor work.
Other Kids Fun Weaving Materials:
We used ribbon to weave through the dish draining mat. I like how easily ribbon slips in and out of the slats.
Here are some other materials you could use to weave with:
- Tall weeds from the yard
- Pipe cleaners
- Yarn
- Strips of construction paper
- Strips from a paper bag
- Rick rack
The thinner the material you use to weave with the harder it will be to weave. Kids will really have to work on their pincher grip to weave with yarn or weeds. I selected a wide ribbon because it would be easier to hold. A thin ribbon would be challenging to weave with too. Patriotic colors were chose for this kids fun activity, but you could select any colors or pattern you like. You could put out different themed patterns during different times of the year.
If you don’t have a Dollar Tree near you or drying mat you can use, you could use a cookie cooling rack. We used a cookie cooling rack and pipe cleaners for a similar activity.
Both activities work on fine motor skills, focus, patterning, planning, and visual discrimination.
If you like this fine motor activity, here are some more you will want to try with your children.
Magnetic Astronaut and Tape Rocket
Letter and Number Literacy Webs
Spider Web Fine Motor Activity
I have a number of fine motor and other early learning activities pinned to my Early Learning Pinterest board. Feel free to check them out!
Follow JDaniel4’s Mom’s board Early Learning on Pinterest.
