- 20 - 35 mins
- Fine motor, colour theory, kinetic energy
- Minimal mess
- Easy!
Need an easy and quick activity to keep those active children engaged for more than 5 minutes? This DIY spinner will do the trick! Easy and quick to make, minimal resources required, and a considerable amount of entertainment was had. Your children will engage with fine motor development and creative expression as they design their coloured wheel. They will be exposed to mathematical concepts such as patterns and shapes as well as be introduced to STEAM concepts about colour theory and kinetic energy as they explore and experiment with their new DIY toy. These DIY spinners are unique and magical, id say you should get spinning now!
What you will need
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Cup
- Scissors
- Twine
- Coloured markers
- Masking tape
Activity steps
Setup
- Place your cup upside down on your piece of cardboard and trace around the outside to create a circle shape.
- Now repeat the above step but trace two circle shapes onto your paper. You will need TWO paper circles.
- Carefully use your scissors and cut out your cardboard and paper circles.
- Now, using your markers create a colour pattern and design on the paper circles. The more colour the better!
- Glue the paper circle to your cardboard circle. One coloured pieces to each side.
- Carefully poke two holes in the middle of your cardboard circle.
- Cut a length of twine about 70cm.
- Thread one end of your string through one of the holes in the middle of the circle and thread it back again through the other side. Now tie the ends together.
- You are ready to play.
How to play
- Pick up your spinner, holding one end of the string in one hand, and the other in the other hand. The cardboard circle should be in the middle of the string.
- Move your hands in a circular motion to twist the string around like a wheel.
- Once the string is twisted, pull gently on the string at either end and then relax, pull again gently, and relax. The spinner will make a humming sound.
- Watch your spinner and colourful design come to life!
Learning Opportunities
- Fine motor development: cutting, drawing, threading
- Mathematical concepts: Shapes, patterning
- Scientific concepts: Colour theory, kinetic energy, experimentation, trial and error
Reference sites
We would like to acknowledge these amazing sites that have inspired us to create this activity. Thank you!