I put a new spin on an old classic with the DIY pipe cleaner candy cane shop! This is an easy, inexpensive, and fun activity that children can return to over and over again. This activity keeps children focused for long periods of time which makes this a great screen-free holiday project!
This is the perfect activity for one of those days when you can’t get outside and feels like the day is just dragging along. You can make this simple fine motor activity in less than ten minutes and you only need a few supplies for hours of fun!
My boys played with their pipe cleaner candy cane “shop” throughout the day and it’s also been a big hit in my preschool classroom. Multiple children can work on the candy canes at the same time and work together to finish a fun project!
Here’s what you’ll need..
Supplies:
- A cardboard box
- Pipe Cleaners
- Pony Beads
- Tape
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Here’s What We Did:
Step 1:
Poke holes through the top of a cardboard box. You want your pipe cleaners to stand up straight, so this will make it easier to push the pipe cleaners through without bending them.
Step 2:
Push the pipe cleaners though the holes. My four year old helped me with this part:)
Step 3:
Tape the pipe cleaners to the inside of the box so they don’t fall through when you thread the beads. I probably could have cut them in half because I pushed quite a bit through. But the good thing about pipe cleaners is they are reusable! You can either save this box for next year or take out the pipe cleaners to save them for another activity and recycle the box.
Step 4:
You pipe cleaner candy cane shop is ready to go! Now set out your beads. I love wooden beads, but we didn’t have enough for this activity. We happened to have these around the house so we used pony beads.
I showed my boys how to make a candy cane. Just thread the beads, bend a bit of pipe cleaner over the last bead to prevent them from falling off, and curl them over to look like a candy cane! They look pretty cool standing on top of the box!
You can work on different patterns for math work or just work on threading for fine motor skills.
My boys revisited this activity throughout the day so we moved the box several time to follow them! I love how easy it is to move this activity and the candy canes staying in one spot. It was a great way to cure those cold weather blues while making something festive and fun!
Pin this activity to save it for later!
I hope you give this simple activity a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.
∼Tara