Transferring objects from one place to another is a favourite activity of most young children.
Why
It seems like they're just moving things about but, like much of what children do, it is so much more than it appears.
The child is:
perfecting their grip
exploring textures
gaining an understanding of weight and distance
developing their fine motor skills and their hand eye coordination
adding strength and flexibility to their wrist and arm movements
while at the same time learning a skill useful in their quest for independence.
Learn more
Setting up a spooning activity
Setting up a spooning activity, is is easy and practical as you probably already have everything you need in your cupboards.
To start you need:
A tray
two bowls of equal size
beans or similar objects to be transferred
a child's height place to work
Setting up the activity on a tray makes it more practical as any objects which are spilt fall onto the tray and are more easily retrieved.
When introducing any new activity to your toddler first show it to them while sitting beside them so they can clearly see the actions required and then, if practical, store the tray on a shelf where it is possible for the child to choose and use independently.
If your child is not yet ready for using a spoon the activity can be set up in the same way with things like pom poms or shells which the child transfers from bowl to bowl by hand.
There are many ways this activity can be developed and refined as your child develops
