Sticky Pom-Pom Spoon Flip

Ages:: Preschoolers (3 to 5)
Play time:: 10 to 15 minutes
Setup:: 5 minutes
Where:: Table

Why it helps

This fun game helps your child practice using their hands and wrists in a smooth way. By using a sticky spoon, they must carefully press and then flip their wrist. This movement is great for building the skills needed to use tools like pencils later on. It also works on eye-hand coordination as they aim for the cups. Your child will love the challenge of getting the fuzzy balls to land exactly where they want. It is a great way to talk about colors and counting together!

Steps

Let your child color two or three paper cups with markers.
Make a loop of masking tape with the sticky side out and press it onto the back of the spoon.
Place a pile of pom-poms on the table with the cups close by.
Ask your child to hold the spoon handle with a steady grip and press the sticky back of the spoon down onto a pom-pom.
Show your child how to turn the hand over so the spoon flips and the pom-pom faces up, like checking the catch.
Carry the pom-pom to a cup. Turn the spoon back over above the cup and scrape the pom-pom off on the rim so it drops in.
Count how many pom-poms land in the cups.

Safety tip: Pom-poms are small, so keep them away from younger siblings and stay close in case one heads for a mouth. Throw away the used tape after play.

Make it easier

Use a large serving spoon so there is more sticky surface to press onto each pom-pom.
Put the cups right next to the pom-pom pile so each turn of the wrist ends over a cup.
Use jumbo pom-poms, which are easier to press onto and to see on the spoon.

Make it harder

Give each pom-pom color its own cup and ask your child to deliver each one to its match.
Try the whole game with the non-dominant hand.
Pick up two pom-poms on the spoon before turning it over the cup.

What to watch for

Notice whether your child turns the spoon over by rotating the forearm, or by lifting the elbow and twisting the whole arm.
Watch how your child holds the spoon, in a fist or with the fingers along the handle, and whether the grip changes as they turn it.
If the sticky tape makes your child uneasy, skip the tape and scoop the pom-poms in the bowl of the spoon instead.