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September 28, 2018 | 2 Comments

Preschool Fine Motor Activity – Bead Drop

 

I am a few weeks into preschool now, and I have a great handle on who my students are, what they like to play with and what skills they are developing. As preschool teachers, we are always assessing, not with tests, just by watching our students play. When my students play outside, they love to play with the tiny pea gravel in our playground, and I decided to make an activity that could replicate that fine motor work, add in a little sorting, and make an awesome sound too!

 

bead drop activity for preschool that develops fine motor skills

I made this bead drop activity with mini mason jars and while it’s fun to use, what would make it even better is using these jars with flip top lids. You can find them here with my affiliate link –> jars with flip top lids

OK ready to see how I made the bead drop tray?

It’s so easy!

 

Materials needed to make bead drop activity

Gather your materials. You will need some mini mason jars, pony beads, a screwdriver and hammer IF you are making a hole but I really really suggest using the flip top lids instead ( I just ordered some, I didn’t know they even existed)! Oh, and you’ll need a tray too.

jars for bead drop activity

Start by making a hole with the screwdriver and hammer, if you do this be sure to flip the lid over and carefully pound the sharp edges into the underside of the lid so little fingers are safe from getting cut. See why the flip lid is such a good idea? Need that affiliate link now? Click here. 

color sorting with a bead drop activity

Next, sort out three colors ( or as many colors as you have jars) and pop them in the jars. You don’t have to divide the colors but it adds an element of color sorting to the activity and preschoolers naturally sort to make sense of things. I say go for it!

preschool fine motor activity with pony beads

Scatter some on the tray, adjust the number of beads based on the abilities of your students. Sometimes children feel like they need to complete the activity if this is the case only scatter a few. We want this to be fun not a chore.

fine motor skills activity for preschool with beads

Pop those beads in! If you are with your students when they are engaged feel free to work in some new vocabulary by saying something like “Oh Jillian did you hear the sound the bead makes when it drops?” “I wonder how many beads are in there, should make an estimate Jillian?” If they are not interested in talking while working give them space, you can always talk about it later.

Need more fine motor ideas?

Check out our archive of fine motor activities here.

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Fine Motor Activities | 2 Comments

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2 Comments

  1. Debra Davis says

    September 29, 2018 at 8:38 am

    You could try the same thing using water bottles.

    to Debra Davis" aria-label='reply to this comment to Debra Davis'>reply to this comment
  2. Diane Eggum says

    September 29, 2018 at 9:33 am

    For toddlers you could use the lids off the pouches .i clean them and use them for color sorting and other activities.

    to Diane Eggum" aria-label='reply to this comment to Diane Eggum'>reply to this comment

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