All wrapped up – make decorations using fine motor skills

What you need 

• Ribbon, string, wool or pipe cleaners in festive colours 

The steps

• Go for a walk and collect some sticks and branches. 
• Talk to your child about which ones they think will make good decorations.  
• Take the sticks home and clean them if necessary.  
• Show your toddler how to wrap the string or wool around the stick.  
• If your toddler finds this tricky you may need to help them by holding the stick still or offering to do it together with each of you holding a bit of the string or wool while they get a feel for the wrapping motion. 
• Once the twigs are wrapped, decide how to display them – you could place them in a tub or pot, or if they’re smaller hang them with some other decorations.

Benefits for your child 

• Wrapping sticks is a brilliant fine motor workout for your toddler, it involves lots of movement of their fingers and hands, as well as coordination to hold the stick in place as they work.

Building on 

• This could become a decorating tradition that you use to celebrate different times of the year, perhaps to make spring decorations in bright colours or autumnal ones in oranges and browns.