Pumpkin Seed Scoop

from 24 months · 15-25 min · Fine motor

What you need

Sit beside the bowl of insides with your toddler and pull out the first seed yourself.
Hand them the spoon and let them scoop seeds out of the stringy insides and into the cup.
Count each seed together as it drops in.
Tip the cup into a sieve at the sink, rinse the seeds together under the cold tap, then lay them on a tray to dry.

Chasing slippery seeds with a spoon asks for slow, careful hand control, and every one that lands in the cup is a small win they can count.

Spoon control: Steering a spoon with a seed on it to the cup without dropping it is the same wrist control they use to feed themselves.
Counting: Saying one number for each seed in the cup joins the words to real things.
Patience: Seeds slip off the spoon, and trying again is a gentle lesson in keeping going.

Watch for them slowing the spoon down to keep a seed on. Raw seeds are small, so sit close and keep them out of mouths.

Do it on a tray or a wipe-clean mat, and sweep up any stray seeds straight after.

Easier: let them pick the seeds out with their fingers and drop them in the cup

Harder: use a teaspoon and see how many seeds fit on it in one go