Each day, we try to do at least one of Practical Life Activities, which are conveniently located on low shelves in "kids' kitchen section" adjacent to our kitchen. Usually in the morning, while I tidy up the kitchen after setting Julia off to school, Adrian will do a dry transferring or water pouring activity. He loves "working" side by side – he feels useful, needed, important …
Today, we are using all different tongs: sugar tong, ice tong, spork tong, small, large, fancy, tension tongs, one-piece bamboo tong, etc. With some, Adrian would attempt to use both hands since the tension would require more strength, but I showed him that if he holds the tongs closer to the tip/end, he would not need to exert as much pressure and would be able to use just one hand. This activity is a great fine-motor skill exercise as the child is practicing the "pincer grip" referred among elementary school educators, therapists, and doctors as "the grasp used by the index finger and thumb to pinch a shoe lace, a cereal puff, or a pencil." As an early precursor of writing, it is important that a toddler, using a "pincer grip", learns to hold and use different "tools" … One day Adrian will hold a pencil and write! The question is when?
The fancy tong did not work well with the pasta. What about trying to transfer strawberries?
the fancy tong works a little better with strawberries rather than with pasta
Still, Adrian likes the spork tong the most as he always goes back to it 🙂 The tong is easy for a toddler to squeeze and grab.
These strawberries are actually from our "garden". Here is a Strawberry Cutting Activity: "From the Garden to the Plate" on preparing a snack, independently at 2 1/2 years old using a serrated knife and a fork.
p.s. Adrian has been using tongs a lot, which is usually the next step after the toddler has mastered spoon transferring. Chopsticks will be next, so stay tuned 🙂
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