Pipe cleaners and Wiffle Balls

“Posting” is a child development term used to describe fitting objects into an opening of corresponding size. It’s great for practicing hand-eye coordination and fine-motor precision, and requires some patience and perseverance. In this activity, colorful, bendable pipe cleaners fit into Wiffle balls for all kinds of posting (and threading) fun.

HERE’S HOW TO PLAY:

Gather together a few Wiffle balls—or any perforated balls, like small practice golf Wiffle balls—and some pipe cleaners. At a table or on the ground, show your child how to fit the end of a pipe cleaner into a hole in one of the balls.

To extend the activity, consider these ideas:

• Fit one end in, bend the pipe cleaner, and fit its other end into the same ball.
• Try to thread a pipe cleaner all the way through a ball—this requires your child to use two hands and close concentration to line up both holes and carefully slide the pipe cleaner through.
• Connect several balls together with multiple pipe cleaners.
• Play pretend by giving the balls hair, eyes, ears, and other features! You can also make the balls into animals; try a dog with four legs and a tail, or an eight-legged spider.