By Michelle on November 22, 2009
Craft beads aren't just for stringing on a piece of thread anymore! There are several different ways you can use them to inspire, teach, and encourage learning in young children. And they will have fun too!
Alternate ways to use craft beads with kids:
**The following activities are meant for use with children over the age of 3. Please always supervise their participation with small objects such as craft beads.
Sort Them By Color. During the preschool years (3-5 approximately) children are learning to sort and categorize all kinds of objects. From the clothes in their drawers to the food on their plates, sorting is everywhere, and sorting objects, like beads, can help with early learning concepts such as classification and color recognition.
Make A Patterning Activity. Preschoolers are also keen on early math skills like patterning. You can create your own patterning activity by setting out beads in ABAB or ABBABB patterns, snap a photo, print it out and have them match up the pattern!
Match/ Mark out Shapes and Pictures. Using the same concept as the patterning activity, arrange the beads into shapes, snap a photo, print it out, and have them mimic what they see. This is great for shape recognition.
Count and Graph Them. Brings a new meaning to being a "bean counter". Usually, packets of craft beads never have the exact same number of each color bead inside. Challenge your child to discover just how many of each color are in the bag!
So, there you have it. Turn one bag of beads into several different activities. I purchased my bag of beads at the dollor store. It was well worth the buy.
Do you have any idea for alternate uses for crafts beads?
Posted in Kid's Crafts
Michelle lives in Vista, CA with her husband and two young children. She is a 4 year uterine cancer survivor, thankful to God to be able to cherish every moment with her family. She has a passion for early childhood education and parenting, seeking to encourage and inspire other moms in their everyday lives- sharing her crafts, tips, ideas, and contagious enthusiasm! Michelle is also proud to be the host of the Official Home of Muffin Tin Monday, where moms gather to share the muffin tin meals they make for their kids.
Michelle's Website
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Love this!!! Great idea! Hope to hear more of your ideas in the future.
By the way, the link to your website doesn't work. I would love to check out your site, as it sounds like we have a lot in common!