What You Do:
- Cut the paper into strips (5 inches long and ½ inch wide). Roll each strip of paper around a pencil or knitting needle. Once you’ve formed the shape, slide the paper out and put a drop of glue on the end to hold the paper in place. Press firmly until the glue dries. Repeat using at least two colors.
- Once the beads are dry, they’re ready to use. Cut a piece of yarn into the appropriate length for your child’s necklace or bracelet, wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make stringing easier, knot the other end, and set them to work!
Whichever recipe of bead you use, this is a great excuse to talk about patterns. Teach your child to string a simple sequence of A-B-A-B. Make sure to say the pattern aloud to help her make the connection between what’s on her piece of yarn, and what she hears. You can say, “This is an A-B-A-B pattern” or “This is a red-yellow-red-yellow pattern”.
Once she’s mastered the simplest patterns, try something more difficult, such as A-B-C-A-B-C, or A-B-A-B-C-A-B-A-B-C.
Let your child make a pattern for you to copy. And be sure to make a few mistakes. Correcting you is a kick for young kids, and it will help your child focus more closely on following the pattern, and making predictions about what comes next in line.
By Andrea McConnell
Andie McConnell has taught a wide variety of grades at charter, private and public schools. She holds a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. And she's the proud mom of a preschooler.
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