Muffin Tray Snack
What you need
- plain, low-sugar cereal hoops that go soft in the mouth
- a clean muffin tray
How to do it
- Sit them upright at the table and put three or four hoops in total into one or two cups of the muffin tray.
- Put the tray in front of them and sit beside them.
- Eat a hoop yourself, then see what they do.
- Top up a cup at a time when it is empty, and clear the tray away when they finish.
Why it matters
Hoops in a cup are easy to pick up with the fingertips, one at a time.
What they're learning
- Finger and thumb
- Reaching into a small cup and pinching out one hoop.
- Feeding themselves
- From the tray to their mouth, one hoop at a time.
- Looking and choosing
- Deciding which cup to try next.
What to look for
Notice which cup they reach into first.
A tip
Choose plain hoops that go soft quickly in the mouth, and never fill the tray: three or four hoops are the whole snack until it is empty. Stay beside them with them sitting upright, and leave out anything hard, like whole nuts or popcorn.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use a shallow bowl instead, so the hoops are easy to reach
Harder: put one hoop in each of three or four cups, so every one is a new pick
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Fine motor activities · Activities for 18 month olds · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a tray