- 10 - 15 mins
- Fine motor, sensory, bilateral coordination
- Minimal mess
- Easy!
A simple, yet effective developmental learning activity for younger children and toddlers, is this “Magic scarf ball” activity. All you need is an O-ball (created by Bright Stars) and some colourful juggling scarfs and away you go for some independent, hands on, play-based learning and fun.
What you will need
- o-ball
- Coloured juggling scarves or similar (e.g. ribbons, strips of material)
Activity steps
Setup
- Take your o-ball and stuff it with your colourful juggling scarves. Stuff one scarf in at a time and choose different angles and sides to stuff them into.
- Now, give the o-ball to your child and ask them to pull out each of the scarves. For younger children you might need to demonstrate how to do this or alternatively leave the o-ball in a safe play area on a shelf or the floor for your child to find, engage and discover!
- Repeat the above steps over and over again; stuff the o-ball and pull the scarves out for hours of developmental learning and fun!
Teaching strategies
Language is so important for infants and toddlers. Whilst your child explores and discovers you could encourage conversation and provide words as they play…
- Where is the scarf?
- Can you pull it out?
- Can you put the scarf on your head?
- How does the scarf feel?
- What colour is your scarf?
- Play peek a boo with the scarves
Learning Outcomes
- Hand eye co-ordination
- Practice and refine fine motor development
- Engage with problem solving principles
- Develop concentration
- Develop patience
Reference sites
We would like to acknowledge these amazing sites that have inspired us to create this activity. Thank you!