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    Home » DIY Learning Toys

    Published: Jun 15, 2018 · Modified: Dec 15, 2019 by Fynn · All activities should be supervised by an adult. This post may contain affiliate links.

    Fish Sewing Board - Sewing Learning Activity for Kids

    Sewing Learning Activity for Kids

    This DIY learning toy is wonderful for toddlers and preschoolers to practice threading and basic sewing. No fancy materials needed, you probably have everything at home to make this one in under 5 minutes.

    What are the learning areas here?

    1) Fine motor skills and 2) life skills - basic sewing

    Sewing activity for kids

    What ages is this learning toy for?

    My 2 y 9mo girl was threading through the holes like a pro. Forget about following the pattern with toddlers. The focus she showed as she navigated the needle into every tiny hole is everything!

    But for my 5yo preschooler, I challenged him to follow the bone pattern. This sewing learning activity was at his sweet spot, challenging but not too overwhelmingly difficult for him. 

    Related: More creative DIY toy ideas here!

    Threading activity for toddlers

    Threading activity for preschoolers

    Materials:

    • Cardboard
    • Yarn (I used 30" or 76cm long yarn. It is not enough to finish the sewing the bone pattern of the fish, but this is a good length for kids to handle, without getting the yarn all tangled up. When my kid ran out of yarn, I extended it by tying another 15" or 38 cm yarn to the end.)
    • Plastic yarn needle (from knitting shops or amazon) or pipe cleaner
    • Sticky tape
    • Marker Pen
    •  A pair of scissors with sharp tip

    How to make fish sewing board:

    Sewing activity for kids

    • Draw a fish silhouette and the bone pattern on the cardboard with a marker pen
    • Cut out the cardboard fish
    • Using the pair of scissors with sharp tip, poke holes at the intersections and ends of the bone pattern
    • Thread the yarn through the hole nearest to the head of the fish. Tie a knot at one end and secure it to the board with sticky tape

    Sewing activity for preschoolers

    • Tie the yarn needle to the other end of the yarn. Alternatively you can twist a pipe cleaner into a needle.

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    Bonus: Join my mailing list and download this free guide: 9 Simple Ways to Spark a Love of Learning in your Children. Get this guide now>>

    Share a photo if you make one too! If you like more ocean theme activities, check out our ocean theme learning shelf!

    Pin this to your Favorite Kids' Activities board!

    Fish sewing board
    Fish sewing board for kids

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    About Fynn

    Fynn is a Math and Science teacher from Singapore, author of The Happy Learning Book for Siblings and founder of Happy Tot Shelf. She helps parents enjoy home learning with their children through her highly popular kids' activity membership, The Happy Learners' Club. Fynn has been featured in various newspapers, websites and on radio shows as an expert in early childhood learning and creative hands-on learning ideas.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joanna Milcheva says

      January 16, 2020 at 12:33 am

      Amazing! Congratulations for that idea and submitting all materials! I am shure Kids endjoy and perform with great pleasure.

      Reply
      • happytotshelf says

        January 30, 2020 at 6:17 am

        Thank you! Glad you like this activity!

        Reply
    2. Sunayana says

      February 18, 2020 at 5:19 am

      Nice idea. Would like to get more such ideas

      Reply

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    Hi there, I'm Fynn, an educator, author and mom of 3. I believe nurturing a love of learning begins at home. I'm here to help parents nurture a love of learning and build a strong bond with their children through fun learning together.

    More about me →

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