One thing that is great about early childhood and working with loose parts, is that we can use them in so many different ways. Indeed, there are probably a million different ways to use pom poms. We love this as a sensory material as they are soft, quiet, and can be so many different sizes and colors.
You can also extend this game to be a full body sensory input by inviting children to play on their stomachs, where they use their hands and elbows to pull themselves along the floor. This is very good for their sensory systems, as feeling the pressure on different parts of their body is great for their overall bodily awareness. Check out the “Physical – Gross Motor” section below for more examples.
Set up Time: 5 minutes
Directions
Make a box on the floor with painters tape. Add pom poms around the floor.
Use different tools and methods to “power” the pom poms into the box. Check out more options below to see how you can use this game to target different skills!
Materials
- Recycled paper
- Craft tape
Learning Through Play
Cognitive: Problem Solving – What happens if we use different tools to try to get the pom poms into the square? For example, which works better to blow the pom poms in: a straw or a cardboard tube? Could you make a miniature broom out of paper to try to sweep them in?
Physical: Gross Motor – Experiment with using different methods to get the pom poms into the square to work on gross motor skills. This can be silly! For example, invite children to crab walk and get pom poms to the square. Or, can children pick up a pom pom with their toes and get them to the square?
School Readiness: Sorting – Make this game more challenging by inviting children to sweep in only a specific color or size pom pom. Or, you can make up something silly such as: “Do not touch the red pom poms! They will make you fall asleep!” Children will take a mental inventory of the pom poms and sort through the details for the sake of this fun twist on the game!
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app along with the other fun games. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
