Grandma Jan and Cousin Ruby got the children Perler Beads last week. I have fond memories of making Perler Bead crafts with friends as a child, and was pleased to see how much the children enjoyed them, too.
Hal spent the first few minutes just running his fingers through the beads in the pie tin. As a 3 year-old, he really enjoys the process of tactile play more than completing a project. When he settled down and started to work with the form, applying each bead one by one, fine-tuning his hand-eye coordination and fine-pincher grip.
The girls, being 7 and almost 9, focused on the design element, and did the ironing themselves. And we all helped clean Perler beads up from every corner of the living room floor afterward. 🙂
For more on tactile play for the preschool child, please come back and check out tomorrow’s post here on sensory play, and also this thoughtful post by Not Just Cute.