5 ways to play the pompom way
Pompoms—small multicoloured cotton balls—are so simple and so fun for your toddler. They’re great for fine motor development activities like tweezing, sorting, and poking small objects through holes.
Here are some ideas for pompom play at home or on the go:
Note: pompom play should always be supervised. These little soft balls can be a choking hazard, so be sure to keep your toddler within reach, especially if they like to put things in their mouth.
Poking
Poke the pompoms through the top of an empty milk or juice carton (the kind with the small spout, shown above). Cut out a flap from the bottom, so your toddler can retrieve the pompoms easily and poke them through over and over again.
If you don’t have a carton, try having your toddler push them through the top of an old plastic water bottle.
Tweezing
You might think your active toddler wouldn’t be into deep-focus, Montessori-style transferring activities, but as they get closer to two years old, they will have enough hand-eye coordination to get really engaged in it.
They will love using the tweezers to practice transferring pompoms, blueberries, peas, or other small items from one container to another. Even If your toddler isn’t interested in tweezers, they may still find the activities engaging using their fingers, and the practice is great for their fine motor and cognition skills.
Hiding
Hide the pompoms and the felt stars in the Magic Tissue Box, along with some hard objects like small rocks or toys. Talk about the difference between soft and hard, things that are round and things that have edges. Then ask your toddler to put their hand in the box, feel around without looking, and pull out the objects in each category: soft, round, hard, and shapes with points.
Sorting
Tweeze and sort the pompoms and felt stars by colour into the Nesting Stacking Drip Drop Cups. If you have both larger and smaller pompoms, your toddler can also sort them by size. Toddlers begin to enjoy sorting by colour, type, and size somewhere between 18 and 24 months. They can also sort pompoms into a muffin tin or egg carton.
Sticking
Your toddler can stick the pompoms to your window or wall using clear transfer paper (this paper is slightly sticky and clear and can be found here). Use painter’s tape to attach the transfer paper to a window, the floor, or a table—sticky side out—and let your toddler stick and unstick the pompoms.
The Play Kits
Stage-based play essentials: designed by experts, built for babies and toddlers up to age 3.
Learn more
Posted in: 19 - 21 Months, Fine Motor, Sorting, Playtime & Activities, Child Development
Keep reading
19 - 21 Months
Introducing the Montessori Animal Match game to your toddler
Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph and Montessori Expert Jody Malterre demonstrate how the Montessori Animal Match game helps toddlers link 2D images with 3D figurines.
19 - 21 Months
Welcome to The Realist Play Kit for months 19-21
Watch Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph introduce the Realist Play Kit for months 19 to 11 of your toddler's life.
19 - 21 Months
Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere
Giving your toddler opportunities to help with household tasks makes them feel independent and valuable. Try these ways to encourage your child to participate.
19 - 21 Months
Picture book project! 🌈 Preserving your toddler’s first words
This DIY project captures your child's first words and builds their vocabulary as their language develops.
19 - 21 Months
Kicking, biting, and hitting: understanding and responding to your toddler’s tantrums
Kicking, biting, and hitting are common all with toddlers, and knowing what to do can be hard—especially if you’re in public. Here's what you should know.
19 - 21 Months
The toddler game of who, what, where, why, how?
Introducing who, what, where, why, and how in little lessons empowers your toddler to begin explaining what interests them the most.
19 - 21 Months
We asked 4 professionals what they wished toddler parents would do more—their answers are here
We asked some of our favorite early childhood, Montessori, and resilience experts to share some advice with us. Here are their top ten tips.
19 - 21 Months
The magical teaching powers of words like “humongous”
Learn how to build your child's language skills and comprehension with plenty of rich vocabulary, back-and-forth conversations, narration, and repetition.
19 - 21 Months
8 ways toddlers start to talk between 18 and 24 months
Here are 8 ways your toddler is learning language right now, even if they're not saying much yet.
19 - 21 Months
The earlier, the better: maths is already developing in your toddler’s brain
Neuroscientist Gillian Starkey shares tips for introducing your toddler to math and why it's beneficial to start now.
19 - 21 Months
5 ways to play the pompom way
Pom poms are a fun way for your toddler to develop their fine motor skills. Here are some ideas for playin with pom poms at home or on the go.
19 - 21 Months
The Montessori activity you already have in your house
Develop your toddler's fine-motor skills and concentration in a fun new way with items you probably already have at home.
19 - 21 Months
What should my toddler’s art look like right now?
More than anything, toddler art is a sensory exploration involving fine and gross motor movement. Here are the stages of toddler drawing development.
19 - 21 Months
4 signs toddlers understand language even if they aren’t talking much yet
Your toddler likely understands more than they can say. Here are 4 ways your toddler is communicating without words.
