Spiky Paper Roll Tower

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5), School age (6+)
Play time:: 15 to 20 minutes
Setup:: 5 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

Holding the tower steady with one hand while the other hand pushes a pipe cleaner through builds two-handed teamwork. Lining up an entry hole with an exit hole on the far side takes careful looking and planning. Threading beads onto the pipe cleaner ends works fingertip control, using the same small muscles kids use for writing.

Steps

Use the markers to draw dots in pairs on an empty paper roll, with each dot straight across the roll from its partner.
Before play, poke a hole through every dot with a sharp pencil, twisting it a little to make the hole round.
Use masking tape to stick the bottom of the paper roll to a flat cardboard base so it stands up.
Ask your child to hold the base steady with the helper hand.
Have your child push a pipe cleaner into one hole and guide it across and out the hole on the other side. Peeking in the top of the roll helps.
Keep going until the paper roll looks like a spiky tower full of pipe cleaners.
Ask your child to pinch beads with the fingertips and thread them onto the pipe cleaner ends.
Bend each pipe cleaner tip into a small hook so the beads stay on.

Safety tip: Beads are a choking risk, so keep them away from younger siblings. An adult pokes the holes with the pencil, and bending the pipe cleaner tips covers their sharp ends.

Make it easier

Wiggle the pencil around in each hole to make it bigger so the pipe cleaners slide through easily.
Start with just two pairs of holes so the tower is quick to finish.
Cut the pipe cleaners in half so they are shorter and easier to steer through the roll.

Make it harder

Add more holes and fill every one, crossing the pipe cleaners in different directions inside the tower.
Use a color code, like red pipe cleaners only in holes with red dots.
Ask your child to pick a number of spikes and count each one as it goes in.

What to watch for

Notice how your child finds the exit hole. Peeking through the first hole and turning the roll to line up the second takes planning.
Watch how your child threads the beads, and whether the other hand holds the pipe cleaner still while the bead slides on.
If guiding the pipe cleaner across the roll gets frustrating, let your child push it in while you steer the tip to the exit hole.

Where this helps in daily life

Lining up two holes and pushing something all the way through uses the same skills kids need for lacing shoes, threading a belt through loops, and putting a straw into a juice box.

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