Preschool Skills – Lacing Cards

Lacing cards improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills in preschoolers

I love lacing cards. They are an easy activity to take with you to keep children busy in the car.   There aren’t many parts to them, they don’t take batteries, and they are completely silent. But lacing cards aren’t only a good thing for Mommy. Lacing cards are also a great educational and developmental toy for preschoolers. As children grasp the tip of the ribbon, they are building their pincer grip which is crucial for writing skills.   They also learn patterns and develop hand-eye coordination through the act of lacing or weaving.   Finally, it is also a lesson in patience as they ever so slowly work their way across the lacing card with their ribbon. There are a lot of super cute lacing card sets in stores but I made one from an inexpensive kitchen sink mat that I got at the dollar store and some random ribbon pieces that weren’t being used I simply cut some strips of ribbon slightly longer than my mat.   You could also use strips of cardstock instead of ribbon (if your child isn’t as destructive as mine).   I also put a strip of tape around the tip of each ribbon just to make it a little sturdier for gripping. Then I let my preschooler go to town with it. I asked her to lace the card by repeating the pattern the pattern I created at the top of the card. But then I let her play with the ribbons and card on her own to discover and explore different designs and patterns that she could make. Lacing cards are fun but so good for preschool development too. But don’t think that you have to get fancy with the $1 sink mat.   You can make lacing cards with just cardstock, a hole punch, and some old shoe laces!   Use different colors of cardstock and cut out different shapes, animals, fruit, or just anything that would make it more fun for your child.