Weaving Activities
Weaving is a popular activity in both the toddler and kindergarten (Casa) classroom.
It's a great way to improve:
Large Outdoor Loom
It's a great way to improve:
- Fine Motor Skills - strengthens muscles in hands and fingers due to the precise movements required
- Hand-Eye Coordination - the hands and eyes work together to weave.
- Mathematical Learning - weaving often involves creating and following patterns
- Creativity and Self-Expression - Weaving allows children to explore colour, texture, and design, giving them an outlet for creativity.
Weaving also introduces children to a craft that’s been used for centuries by many different cultures.
If you're looking for a simple activity for the weekend or a rainy day, I highly recommend this!
Here's 4 weaving activities, each increasing in complexity. You can choose the best one based on your child's age and fine motor skills.
Paper Weaving
This simple set up is a great introduction to weaving and easy to make. This one fills up quickly, appealing to younger children with shorter attention spans.
All you need is construction paper (cardstock is ideal) and some scissors.
- Fold the paper in half and, starting at the fold, cut straight lines into the paper an inch apart and stopping an inch before the edge.
- Open the paper and you’ve got a loom.
- Cut inch wide strips of paper
- Demonstrate how to gently weave the 1" strips through the paper loom.
Tip: Keep the looms simple to start, with only 5-10 notches and an inch in between each one. You can always add more and make them closer together as your child’s interest in the activity grows.
Cardboard Loom
- Cut cardboard so that it is rectangular in shape and then cut notches in the top and bottom.
- Wrap yarn or ribbon (any type of string that won’t break easily) through the notches to create a loom.
- Add long pieces (longer than the width of the loom) of fabric, ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, construction paper, etc. You could use one or a variety of thread-like materials for the child to use creatively.
Tip: Tape the loom to the table if your child grows tired of holding the loom while weaving.
For younger children or when first introducing weaving, you may want to start with the loom taped down. This gives them a chance to focus on the precise movements required to weave, without needing to keep the loom steady too.
Nature Loom
- Tie 4 sticks together to make a frame.
- Wrap yarn or ribbon (any type of string that won’t break easily) around the top and bottom of the frame.
- Use twigs, leaves, or any other fallen materials you can find to weave through the loom. You could also use fabric, ribbon, yarn, etc. as suggested above.
Large Outdoor Loom
Similar to activities 2 or 3 but just on a larger scale, hung on the fence or outdoor wall.
The thread you use will also have to be longer so you could rip up old bed sheets, use other types of fabrics or long ribbon.
Weaving on a larger scale like this involves all the mentioned developmental benefits while adding on gross motor skill development.
If you have a chain-link fence around your yard, they make great outdoor looms too.
A note on safety: DIY Looms are made with very long pieces of string. Please ensure the thread is secure and supervise your child when engaging in this activity. In Canada, safety regulations state that children should not engage with materials (scraps of fabric, strings, etc) longer than 22 cm or a loop exceeding 44 cm around. Check your country’s regulations for more information.
We also have these weaving activities available from The Montessori Room:
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