Pipe Cleaners - Page 9 of 12

Button The Shapes

For this activity, you will first need to create the button container using plastic containers with lids. Use the scissors to pierce a hole in the lid.

Take one button and insert a 3-inch pipe cleaner through 2 of the button holes.

Insert each edge of the pipe cleaner through the lid hole that you pierced and twist the 2 edges together on the bottom of the lid. This will hold the button in place on the lid.

Close the container with the lid so the button is at the top of the container.

Using a marker, mark a shape on the container.

Cut out pieces of felt in the same shapes that you marked the containers with. You can also use fabric for this.

Using the scissors, cut holes in the middle of each shape.

Provide the child with the button containers and the felt shapes. Ask the child to sort the felt pieces and button them on the right container marked with the matching shape.

For grading, you can use different sized buttons or you can also use one container with no marked shape and have the child follow a pattern from a visual model (i.e. button a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle in a repeated order).

DIY Abacus Counting Frame (Rack Rack)

This activity provides many benefits while creating the abacus and while playing with the finished product.

To create the abacus:

Use 2 toilet paper rolls or cut a paper towel roll in half.

Use the pencil to mark and puncture equal height dots on each paper roll. The pipe cleaners will be attached there.

Cut the pipe cleaners to be equal length. Each one should be about 6 inches in length.

Insert one side of the pipe cleaner to the top hole on the paper roll.

Put 10 beads on the 1st pipe cleaner, and repeat these last 2 steps until you put all the pipe cleaners in the holes, and string all the pipe cleaners.

Insert the other end of the pipe cleaner into the 2nd paper roll.

Let your child be a part of putting this together to promote pincer grasp, bilateral hand use, and eye-hand coordination.

Don’t have pipe cleaners? Use a string instead.

Don’t have beads? Use Cheerios or buttons.

While playing with the abacus, the child gets to practice these skills as well.

Candy Cane

For this activity, we used colorful paper straws and cut each straw into 1-inch pieces.

Ask the child to string the cut straw pieces onto a pipe cleaner.

Bend the top of the pipe cleaner to shape it like a candy cane.

Fine Motor Beads Kids

For this activity, you will need 2 pipe cleaners to form the body structure.

Shape the Body

Twist 2 pipe cleaners together in the middle – about 2/3 of the way up.

The twisted part will be the body.

Thread 3 large beads through both pipe cleaners to form a body.

Create Arms and Hands

Take both pipe cleaners and separate them, pulling each stick to either side of the body.

Thread about 5 medium beads onto each arm.

Curl and wrap the end of the pipe cleaner around the last bead to secure it in place.

These will be the hands.

Create Legs

Thread about 8 medium beads onto each leg.

Curl and wrap the end around the last bead to secure it in place.

These will be the feet.

Head Shape

To form the head shape, using the scissors cut one pipe cleaner in half and bend to form a circle shape with the ends twisted and touching.

Insert the ends of the pipe cleaner head into the top bead of the body to secure it in place.

Paper Flower

Provide the child with one pipe cleaner and 5-6 paper baking cups. You can use colorful baking cups or white ones.

Instruct the child to pile up the baking cups. Pierce a small hole in the middle of the stacked paper cups, using the edge of the pipe cleaner.

The child might need your assistance when completing this step.

Insert the pipe cleaner through the hole, and bend the tip, to secure the pipe cleaner from coming out.

Have the child lift and pinch the top paper cup towards the middle.

Then, repeat this step with the rest of the baking cups, until all paper cups are held up altogether.

To secure the baking cups from sliding down, instruct the child to hold the last paper cup at the bottom, right where the pipe cleaner inserts, and twist the pipe cleaner around a couple of times to create a stopper.

Once the flower is ready, the child can loop the remaining pipe cleaner on a pencil or a pen, like a pencil topper, or he can make additional flowers to make a bouquet.