Friday, May 17, 2013

DIY Toys #1 Grasping Beads and Such Things

I am an artist so I appreciate quality. Plastic, cheap made toys make me shiver and assault my search to make learning beautiful. Many moms feel like I do about toys, but may be overwhelmed at the thought of finding and funding high-quality toys. How expensive it probably seems to think of giving one's child beautiful, well-made toys from natural, quality materials. However, it is not so expensive or overwhelming as you might think. Quality toys are easy to make and truly worth the effort in your child's development.


Grasping Beads are a toy one might find on a natural toy website, especially if it is dedicated to montessori learning(more on montessori later). I think they are a delightful first toy. Toys should have a purpose and meet a child's developing needs. Grasping beads and toys similar to them are perfect for the small infant just learning to hold things in their hands. 

Below are some pictures of possible materials. I chose a variety of wooden beads, glass beads, spools, rings, and anything else that looked like fun finger work. Use your imagination!



Here are a few different grasping string ideas I came up with for my little man. I wanted to try a combination of different things and see what he responded to best.

1. 
Wooden beads on a leather string with a few alternating colors. 


2. 
Wooden beads on a suede leather string with different shades of brown glass beads. 


3. 
A traditional grasping bead set. I made the string longer that most I've seen
for both sensory reasons and safety. The beads should have knots tied in-between each of them.  


4. 
A string of just glass beads. 


5. 
A variety of grasping materials. I just LOVE this one and so does my little man!


So, after all this work, what were the baby ratings?

He really enjoyed all of them, but number five on the list soared to the top. Next, he loved either one or two. The difference in colored or not colored beads didn't seem to matter. He did like the traditional grasping beads, but since I didn't get around to making these until he was at least 6 months, I think he had progressed past such simplicity. The traditional ones are best for a small 3 month old baby because of weight and maneuver-ability. I know he would have loved them back then.

These projects cost very, very little and resulted in hours of fun play with a beautiful quality toy. More posts on toys will follow.







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