Wobbly Straw Slalom

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5), School age (6+)
Play time:: 10 to 15 minutes
Setup:: 10 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

This activity is wonderful for helping your child coordinate both hands together. By weaving a string through a forest of straws, they learn to control their arm movements while focusing on a small target. It builds the stability in their shoulders needed for writing later on. It also challenges their motor planning as they figure out the best path. Your child will love the challenge of keeping the string steady! Choking risk: beads can be a choking hazard. Stay within arm's reach, and keep them away from children who still put things in their mouths.

Steps

Roll several small balls of playdough and press them onto a table to make steady bases.
Cut your straws into pieces about four inches long.
Stick one straw piece vertically into each playdough base to create slalom poles.
Line up your poles in a straight or zigzag row.
Tie a single large bead to the end of a long piece of string to act as your weight.
Hold the string with both hands and weave the bead around each straw pole from start to finish.
Challenge your child to go faster or weave the string in a specific pattern you call out!

Safety tip: Always supervise your child during play. Beads and playdough are choking hazards, so keep them away from younger siblings.

Make it easier

Use a short string, about the length of your child's forearm, so the bead swings less.
Space the poles farther apart in a straight line.
Let your child hold the string with one hand and steady that wrist with the other.

Make it harder

Weave the whole course without letting the bead touch the table.
Use a longer string, which swings more and takes steadier control.
Count how many poles the bead passes before one tips over, and try to beat it.

What to watch for

Notice whether your child moves the whole arm from the shoulder or makes small moves at the wrist.
Watch whether your child waits for the bead to stop swinging before moving to the next pole.
If playdough on the fingers bothers your child, roll the bases yourself or press them flat with the bottom of a cup.

Where this helps in daily life

Steadying the arm to control something that swings is the same control kids use to carry a lunch bag by its strap, walk a dog on a leash, and lower a bucket on a rope at the playground.

These activities are for home practice and don't replace the guidance of a licensed therapist.