As the girls get older, their fine motor skills continue to get more advanced and I’m simply puzzled by what new works to provide to meet their needs.  I remembered this work from a Montessori primary classroom back when I was teaching, so I brought it out for our homeschool preschool to work on balancing objects!

I put some foam cubes in one bowl and large pom-poms in another.  I showed Nora how to line up the cubes, then gently balance a pom-pom on each one.  This requires great patience as well as figuring out how to deal with frustration because…

…it’s much more difficult than it looks!

For Lila, I added a clip to the tray that she must use instead of her fingers.  This adds an element of hand strengthening to the balancing work, which is just the challenge Lila needed to hold her interest.  You could also use a clothespin or child-size tongs instead of a clip.

 

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