Calming Activity: Beads - Ages 3+

Like using clay, beading is another activity that can really help kids settle down a bit.  It requires fine motor skills which is very useful for when they start writing.  It also lets them utilize other skills, like learning patterns, counting, all of course while indulging their creativity! 

On this particular day I asked my son to sort them by which ones he liked the best.  He seemed more interested in this rather than just saying sort the red ones from the blue ones, etc.  Plus, I wanted to see is reasoning for choosing certain ones that he liked better...whether he thought they were more sparkly, shinier, glassy-looking...in this instance, you can encourage your child to learn to describe something, and teach them what an adjective is!

Regardless, it still kept him busy and entertained so even without pressuring him to "do something" with the beads, just picking them up and playing with them randomly was enough.

Of course making necklaces and bracelets are also useful...great gifts for grandmas, aunts and cousins.