Big Bead Caterpillar
What you need
- five or six big beads from a toddler lacing set, in two or three colours, each too big to fit through a toilet roll tube
- the lace from the set, knotted at one end
How to do it
- Sit together on a rug with the big beads in a bowl between you.
- Thread one for the caterpillar's head, name its colour, and ask "What colour next?"
- Hand them the tip, let them choose and thread the next big bead, and say its colour together.
- Keep going until it is long enough to curl up on the rug, then say hello.
Why it matters
Choosing a colour, threading it on and watching the caterpillar grow gives them a reason to reach for one more big bead.
What they're learning
- Threading
- Lining the tip up with the hole and pushing it through.
- Colours
- Naming each colour as it goes on.
- Choosing
- Picking which big bead comes next.
What to look for
Watch for them picking out a colour on purpose.
A tip
Check the big beads before you start and put away any that are cracked or chipped. The big beads go back in the bowl, not in mouths, and the lace never goes round a neck. Pack the lace and big beads away together afterwards.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: hold each big bead still while they push the tip in
Harder: take turns adding a colour, green then red, and see what they pick next
