Age: approx. 6 months to 2 years (see bottom for tips)
Materials: Plastic tub, pompoms, spoon
(N is currently 11 months. See bottom for tips to simplify or extend to meet your child's needs)
Present tub of pompoms with props (spoon) to baby ensuring you stay with them while they play
(note: pompoms are small and could be a choking hazard without proper supervision)
What will baby reach for first. The pompoms or the prop that stands out as being different?
Exploring different colours, textures, sizes and shapes
Fantastic for practicing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.
Can baby pick up one using the pincer grip (thumb and pointer), pass the pompom from one hand to the other? etc
Tip the container Baby. Watch the pompoms slide from one side of the tub to the other.
Baby is Learning:
- Fine motor skills
- Pincer grasp (picking up small objects with thumb and pointer finger)
- Pincer grasp (picking up small objects with thumb and pointer finger)
- Hand and eye coordination
- Cause and effect (ie. tipping the tub up will make all the pompoms slide to the lower side)
- Textures and the difference between hard and soft
- Colours. Look how all the pompoms are the same but different
- Colours. Look how all the pompoms are the same but different
- Emotions. Enjoyment & excitement.
- About Gravity. Physical items fall down and always tip to the lowest point
- About Gravity. Physical items fall down and always tip to the lowest point
- What to do with this materials. Scoop or stir with the spoon. Pick up, swish, throw the pompoms
- Sensory. Feel of the pompoms, how they are fuzzy and soft and squishy but can't be squished completely (unlike the baked bean baby play) as well as the smell, temperature (neither hot nor cold) and appearance.
Handy Tips:
- Simplify this activity by providing the pompoms in a container without the spoon. Younger babies will probably not be at stirring or scooping stage, however touching and feeling the comparison between the 2 different materials is also good learning for baby.
- Extend this activity for older babies by providing extra props to use with the pompoms. Try adding a little bowl, cup, tongs etc for more scooping, pouring, pretend play and fine-motor skills
- Mix it up by trying as toddler pompom push instead
- Repeat this activity as often as you like as babies (and children) need repetition in order to consolidate their learning and understanding.
- Talk to your baby about what they are doing. This will help them begin to understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as helping develop their vocabulary. "The pompoms feel soft and squishy and fuzzy!" "Look at the yellow pompom, baby"
- Supervise. Babies need constant supervision.
Click here for MORE BABY PLAY IDEAS
Happy playing,
Debs :)
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