Developing communication skills and encouragement of developing vocabulary.
Encouraging hand-eye coordination.
Exploring different materials and textures. Developing fine motor skills.
The experience
If using kitchen roll tubes, cut the tubes in half. If using toilet roll tubes, leave as they are.
Using the hole puncher, create several holes on the surface of the tubes. You can put them close together or space them out depending on your child’s ability in handling small objects.
Cut the straws and/or pipe cleaners in half for easy handling.
Provide your child with the resources and encourage them to explore the tubes, straws and pipe cleaners. You may need to demonstrate or support your child with placing the straws/pipe cleaners in the holes at first, then allow your child to explore alone with adult supervision or support if necessary.
Once the children have started to place the straws/pipe cleaners in the tube they will be able to do this multiple times with their movements becoming more controlled as they practice. Throughout this activity describe the textures of the materials, and also describe the actions your child is performing to develop vocabulary and understanding.
