This pasta threading activity is a fine motor task that supports development of many skills. If you are looking for toddler activities, preschool activities, or ideas for older kids to develop motor control and coordination, pasta threading is the way to go!
Pasta Threading
First, you might be wondering what is “pasta threading”? If you have Pinterest, you may have seen activities where kids thread pasta onto straws placed into play dough. This is one form of pasta threading.
Another way to thread pasta as a fine motor activity is to simply create a pasta necklace by threading the pasta onto string or yarn. This is a classic craft that helps develop many skill areas.
By threading pasta, kids develop skills in areas such as:
- Fine motor skills
- Hand- Eye coordination
- Creativity
- Wrist stability and extension (needed for precision in the fingertips)
- Attention and Concentration
- Feeling of success and achievement when completed
We’ve covered other threading activities in the past, including this gross motor threading activity. Working from a larger aspect like using whole-body movements is a great precursor to the more refined fine motor work needed for threading pasta noodles.
Pasta Threading Activity
Similar to stringing beads as a therapy tool, threading pasta can be graded in many aspects to support the individual needs of the user.
- Modify the material– You can stringing pasta onto cord, thick yarn, straws, or even lightweight string.
- Modify the pasta size– Use a larger noodle or a smaller noodle. You can target in-hand manipulation skills, pincer grasp, and arch development by using different sizes of noodle.
- Modify the positioning– Ask users to thread onto a free lying piece of string. Or place straws or skewers into playdough to change the positioning and shoulder involvement.
Depending on the needs of the individual, you can adapt or modify these materials. Use a thicker straw or a smaller straw cut into pieces. Position the straws on angles or all in one direction.
There are so many ways to change this single activity to support a variety of needs and skill levels.
To complete this fine motor activity, you need only a few materials:
- plastic straw or straight spaghetti
- tubular pasta
- play dough
Be sure to incorporate the play dough into the activity so that the user has ownership in setting up the activity. There are also the added fine motor benefits of play dough as well.
How to thread pasta
To set up this fine motor activity, follow these steps:
- flatten out play dough on to table
- stick the straw/spaghetti into the play dough
- thread the pasta onto the straw
Pasta threading is a great fine motor activity that supports so many areas, and can easily be set up at home.
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