We have a basket filled with colorful pompoms for the children to play with in the classroom…
Each child grabs a supply of pompoms to begin with and places the pompoms on their own tray. The trays help the children define their personal space and they help to keep the pompoms from rolling all over the floor…
The play is very open ended. We rotate cups, spoons, clothespins, bowls, and other items to give the children ways to manipulate the pompoms…
It seems that the children like to use their hands more than anything else to scoop up the pompoms. Perhaps it is because the pompoms feel soft or they just like the challenge of holding as many pompoms as they can at one time…
I find it interesting just to watch the children as they play. There is really no real objective to their play – it is all just exploration that leads them to using their imagination, their senses, and their hands. The children often pass pompoms back and forth to each other as well. Some children will play with this for a long period of time and others like to try it out for a few minutes then move on to something else.
You can also make these cute pompom finger puppets from Crunchy and Green!
See these home-made magnetic pompoms from Home Grown Hearts!