Activity | Springtime Weaving

Getting those little hands moving with handwork not only stimulates the senses with touch, it also stimulates the brain as children work on fine motor skills like hand eye coordination, pattern making, logic, etc as they practice weaving items in and out of ropes/rubber bands to make a beautifully loomed art piece!

What You’ll Need

• A basket & scissors

• Twine or Rubber bands

• Cardboard

• Items to weave

  • Long feathers

  • Ribbon

  • Long stemmed flowers

  • Long stemmed greenery

  • Leaves

  • etc! Use you’re imagination!

How It Works

First, take a walk around your garden, a park, or around your neighborhood with a basket and some scissors. Observe the springtime flowers and watch for the life that is hovering around them (honey bees, lady bugs, roly polys)! This is a great opportunity to connect with your child(ren) and with nature. Talk about how everything is connected and the interdependence of nature (the bees need the flowers for nectar, we need the honey for food, the flowers need the bees for pollination, etc!, we are all connected!). On your walk, gather some flowers (only take what you need! Remember, the creatures and insects need these plants more than we do!), gather some greens and remember to keep the stems long.

Next, prepare a cardboard loom by cutting a piece of cardboard to about 4x6 or 5x7 (you can do any size though, get creative). You’ll need to tightly wrap the twine around the cardboard or rubber bands around the cardboard to finish the loom.

Now you are ready to start weaving! Show your child(ren) how to weave by threading a stem first under, then over, then under, then over again through the twine/rubber band. Perhaps you do your own and have them sit next to you with theirs so that they can give it atry when they are ready.

Observe your child(ren), what colors, textures and items do they choose for their loom? I love keeping connection by commenting “I see you’re really loving the pink flowers for your loom” or “Wow, I’m noticing how you made a pattern, first yellow flower then a green stem”. This provides connection for your children and shows them that you notice them and appreciate how individual they are.

If you make a loom at home, tag us on instagram so we can see your beautiful works of art!