Activities by Age

Sponge and Sticks: A 3-Item Activity for Toddlers

Wooden sticks in a sponge and cut straw pieces to thread on. Three things from around the house and up to half an hour of quiet concentration from a toddler.

Updated 14 November 2020

Toddler placing coloured straw pieces onto wooden sticks standing in a sponge

Quick answer

Push five to eight wooden sticks into a big sponge and give your child a pile of straw pieces to thread on. From about 18 months; older children can match colours or make patterns.

When you have a little time to sit on the floor with your little one, this is the activity to reach for. Our Mini Maker Alex calls it "sponge and sticks", and it does what it says on the tin: it kept him busy for up to 30 minutes, and it needs only three items you almost certainly already have.

Sponge with wooden skewers and cut straw pieces ready for the sponge and sticks activity

1. Sponge and sticks

Wooden sticks pushed into a sponge, with cut straw pieces to thread on. Three household items and up to half an hour of concentration.

Best forFine motor skills and spatial awareness
Age18 months to 4
Time10 to 30 minutes
Mess levelLow
DifficultyEasy
CostUnder £2

You will need

A big sponge
5 to 8 wooden skewers or sticks
Colourful straws cut into 5cm pieces

How to set it up

Push the wooden sticks into the sponge.
Place one straw piece on each stick, then ask your child to add the rest.
For younger children, simply putting the straws on and taking them off is challenge enough at around 18 months.
For older children, ask them to match the straws by colour or build patterns.

Why it helps

Threading the straws onto the sticks practises fine motor skills and spatial awareness at the same time. Children make sense of what they see (visual perception) and work out how to get the straw onto the stick (motor planning), learning direction, distance and location as they go. Coloured straws add colour practice and, for older children, pattern making and early reasoning.

Safety notes

Skewers have sharp points. Snip the tips off, keep an eye on where little faces are, and stay within arm's reach throughout. Small straw pieces are a choking risk for under-threes.