Scoop and transfer

What you need

• Objects that can be used for scooping e.g. a large spoon, ladle, etc.
• Items to scoop such as pom poms, or light balls such as ping pong balls or ball pit balls
• Two containers, one for your balls or pom-poms and one empty container

Benefits

This activity helps to develop fine and gross motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination. This will also help build your baby or toddler’s concentration.

The experience

Provide your child with two containers. In one, have the balls/pom poms/whatever else you may be moving and scooping. The other should be an empty container. You could use containers such as tupperware boxes, a washing up bowl, bucket or even saucepans!

Provide your child with a ladle or spoon. Encourage them to pick up the items using the spoon to scoop and transfer the items from one container to another. You may need to model how to do this.

To make this more challenging for older children, you could use a teaspoon with something very small to transfer into small containers, such as an ice cube tray.