Fine Motor Activities : Licorice Learning

As a part of our new candy activities series, today we are using candy in a few intentional learning activities which also double as heavy fine motor activities. We don’t do many activities which are specially fine motor activities since all the sensory activities and crafts for kids we do have a heavy dose of fine motor element. Following the same concept we found plenty of ways to learn and create with different kinds of licorice.

Materials

• Black Licorice
• Licorice with Star burst filling

Scissors Skills and Color Recognition

These licorice bits turned out to be such a great manipulative. They are wonderfully tactile and very handy for little hands. My 3 year old spent time touching and feeling them and she even followed the curves on the body of the licorice. I had her practice her scissor skills by simply cutting the black licorice strands. We did not use a safety scissors since she is good with her scissors ( although I need to remind her to keep her scissors straight!) but even with blunt scissors they are pretty easy to cut. We also practiced our colors by calling out the names while cutting.

With a colorful pile of cut up licorice bits we started creating letters and indulged in sensory pre-writing . [ See our earlier sensory writing with cornflour] My 3 year old is a sensorial learner and adores alphabet activities and math activities when introduced as sensory activities.

Pre- writing 

I printed out a few basic letters, numbers and shapes and set out those sheets with the licorice bits with Starburst filling in them.  These variation of licorice sticks turned out be very useful since each bit sticks to another and  thus creating countless opportunities for building and creating.

If you use regular licorice bits it will be still fun except the bits will not stick to each other. My 3 year old pointed out that they looked like colored pasta! Yeah, quick and easy colored pasta for learning activities.

We did a few numbers as well. Everytime we do one of these activities I show her the right direction to “build” her letter/number. I feel younger siblings ( after watching their older siblings accomplish these tasks with ease need to feel independent and capable. Having her do these short tasks all by  herself seem to take care of those issues. ” Hey, I did my own letters and numbers just like sister” seems to be the catch phrase around these parts.

They really look like colored pasta.

Concepts Learning

A few shapes for good measure!

Shapes and colors

Creative Fine Motor Play

The 5 year dropped by and we both created a few abstract shapes. Since making “letters and numbers” are not or big kids she had to a few creative figures by herself ( Why are they in such a hurry to grow up!)

We used our math sculptures set up and the 5 year used the licorice bits and created candy sculptures

Patterns, sequencing and counting

As you an see they are so many ways to use these little guys in learning. The sky is the limit!

Hope you enjoy learning, playing and creating with your children

Thanks for reading

Stop by these wonderful blogs for their candy activities for the day 

Candy Corn Counting and Math from Reading Confetti

Spelling with M &M’s from Inspiration Laboratories

Math games with candy from Learn Play Imagine

Candy Train Game from Play Trains

Pixi Stix Learning Tray from Housing A Forest

SweetTARTS sorting and graphing from Mama.Papa.Bubba

Free printable flashcards for jelly bean addition from Mama Miss