Weaving
We used crafting foam for our place mat.
Weaving offers itself to developing many different types of skills such as fine motor, measuring, and creating patterns. It can also improve a child’s focus or concentration. Teach your child how to weave a Thanksgiving place mat this holiday. It is a fun, beneficial, hands on activity. Here’s how to get started:
You’ll need:
construction paper or crafting foam
scissors
ruler
1. Choose one piece of construction paper to be the loom. Leave and even amount on either side, but cut slats through the middle. Depending upon your child’s age, this part may have to be prepared by you. We used 1 inch slats, but you can use smaller slats to make it more difficult and intricate.
2. Take other colors of construction paper and cut them into strips. The width of the strips should match the width of the slats on your loom (ours are 1 inch again).
3. Now show your child how to weave by taking the construction paper strips over and under each slat on the loom. Have your child pay attention to the pattern he/she is creating. Ask which of the colors will come next.
Remember that very young children may need more guidance than older ones. A two year old may need you to show him/her where the strip goes each time, but they should be able to pick out the next color in a simple two color pattern. When complete, your child will have a place mat for the Thanksgiving table.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Tags: Child Development, Education, Fine Motor Skills, Kinesthetic, Patterns, Thanksgiving, Visual, Weaving
