Fall Tree Threading Activity – Fine Motor Fun for Kids

Are you looking for an easy fine motor activity you can do with the kids? Try this Fall Tree Threading Activity. It’s the perfect activity to do either at home or in the classroom for an Autumn themed unit. Toddlers and preschoolers will have so much fun developing their fine motor skills with this fun activity.

Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.

Fall is a wonderful time to stay indoors and spend some quality time with your kids. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration then check out these Fall activities for kids. Or invest in the Fall Activity Pack, which is filled with educational ideas for young kids.

Materials Needed

1. 4 – 5 Brown Pipe Cleaners
2. A bag of beads
3. Sticky tape (optional)

If you don’t have any beads already, consider this collection of pony beads. There are 24 different colors for you to use to make jewelry or any kind of threading activity for your kids that you like.

Watch the Video

How to make a Fall Tree Threading Activity

1. Collect your supplies.

I didn’t go with the traditional colors of Autumn for this activity because I already had a bag of beads ready to use. Instead I let my kids make rainbow trees instead, which meant that we could also work on color recognition while we played.

Although my tree didn’t look as beautiful as it would have with those traditional Fall colors. It still turned out perfectly.

2. Gather your pipe cleaners together and fold them in half.

Don’t bend them all the way. Instead, use your finger as a placeholder. You’re going to need this extra bit of pipe cleaner to be able to spread out later to become the roots of your tree and help it to stand up.

3. Make the Tree Trunk

Twist the looped end of the pipe cleaners around your finger. Then continue twisting the pipe cleaners about 1/2 way to the end. This will be the trunk of your tree.

Do not twist all the way to the top. You’ll want to leave the last half or third of your pipe cleaners free.

4. Make the Roots.

Remove your finger, and spread the loops out, about 90 degrees to the tree trunk. These loops, when spread out, will help to make the base of the tree more stable.

5. Make the Branches.

Twist, bend and spread the upper half of the tree to make branches.

6. Tape the base of the tree to the table.

This step is optional. When I did this activity with my son, he got frustrated because the tree kept falling over. There are a few different solutions that you can try:

1. Encourage your child to hold the tree themselves while they thread, instead of expecting it to stay in place.
2. Hold the tree for them
3. Tape the base of the tree trunk down, (I used painters tape and stuck ours to the table top)

7. Thread the beads onto the branches so that they look like leaves.

If you don’t have beads at home you can try using buttons, and make a fall button tree instead. Or use felt pieces that are cut into the shape of a leaf. No matter what you use, all of these are a great way to help early learners strengthen their hand muscles.

What You’re Learning

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills refer to the small muscles in the hand and fingers. Developing these skills are important in being able to write when the kids go to school, as well as being able to complete tasks independently. (For example, dressing and feeding themselves).

Picking up the beads, and threading them onto the pipe cleaners trees are all going to help young kids develop:

1. Pincer grip and/or tripod grasp
2. Hand-eye coordination
3. Dexterity.

Counting

This is also a great activity to do if you are practicing counting. Count each bead as you thread it onto the branch. You can count to 10 or 20, depending on the age of your children and what level they are working on at the moment.

Color Recognition

Using a variety of colored beads allows toddlers and preschoolers to practice identifying the different colors. You can also sort and classify the different colors into groups before you start threading if you like. For example, when you pick up a red bead, place it in a pile of other red beads.

More Fall Themed Fine Motor Activities to try

Here are some more fun activities to try if you want to help strengthen little hands. Toddlers and preschoolers will love these new, exciting ways that focus on the development of fine motor skills.

1. Toilet Roll Sticky Tree
2. Playdough Hedgehog
3. Free Fall Playdough Mats
4. Printable Lacing Cards for Fall
5. Pumpkin Fine Motor Skills Activity

For more ideas, take a look at these 15 Fall Fine Motor Activities for Kids.

Are you going to try this Fall Tree Threading Activity with your kids? Don’t forget to Pin the idea for later.

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