Make fine motor practice easy and fun with a pom pom fill-and-shake bottle!
Anyone here love a good pom pom activity? My girls love pom poms.
The colors.
The fuzz.
The softness.
Also, pom poms are the most fun thing in the world to toss in the air by the handful.
Hey, as long as they pick up all the pom poms, I’m OK with pom poms being thrown about.
Better they throw pom poms than those darn sippy cups.
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
Pom Pom Fill-and-Shake Bottle
Pom poms are tons of fun on their own, and if you’ve never tried them with your kids, let them be the star of the sensory bin and allow the kids to just explore the material.
Our favorite is this one for the beautiful colors, how well it stays together (doesn’t shed), and the density of the ball.
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I’m no expert, but I’m hoping that last one really convinced you: the density of the ball. Come on, who writes this stuff?
Oh yeah, ME.
I like the one inch (2.5 cm) size because it’s the most versatile for both activities and crafts.
Where to Get Your Own Fill-and-Shake Bottle
Before you toss a plastic or cardboard container out, think about repurposing it as a fillable container for your next sensory bin.
I recycled a coffee creamer bottle which had an opening just large enough that the kids had to poke a pom pom through the top with their fingers, it wouldn’t just fall in.
Plus the bottle was clear, which is always a bonus.
How We played with the Fill-and-Shake Bottle
Both girls each spent several minutes filling the bottle.
It was a big bottle, and my one-year-old (Lia) lost interest when it was about half full, which is still pretty fantastic, in my opinion.
(**Note that for young kids, you may want to secure the bottle to the floor or bin as it tips over very easily. You could have your toddler hold the bottle between their legs like Lia is doing in the picture below. Or just let them deal with it. That could work, too.)
When Lia was done filling the bottle, she turned it upside down and shook the pom poms out.
This is where the name Fill-and-Shake Bottle comes from, FYI.
My three-year-old (Elena) went waaay past halfway. She didn’t stop until the bottle was tightly packed and pretty much all the pom poms were in there.
Getting the pom poms back out was a challenge for Elena. That kept her occupied for another ten to fifteen minutes.
She had to take the top off and use tongs to get some of the pom poms out and loosen them enough to be shaken out.
Other fun fillable containers
Here are other options if you don’t have a coffee creamer bottle. Ideally look for something that has a smaller opening at the top. The last one is one of our new favorites!
- a water bottle
- a clean milk jug
- an empty tissue box
- an oatmeal container with holes cut in the lid
- a cereal dispenser
- an empty baby cereal dispenser
- a clean wipes container
- cardboard tubes
- a snack cup
what we’re Learning
Fine motor skills are happening all over the place with this activity.
I saw my girls using their pincer grasp, squeezing the pom poms, using their index finger to poke the pom poms, and just giving those hand muscles a good workout.
There was a little thinking involved, too. Both girls had to figure out how to get the pom poms back out of the bottle, and because they filled them to different points, they had to find different ways to get the pom poms out.
Your Turn to make a Pom POm Fill-and-Shake bottle
Grab some pom poms and an empty bottle and get ready to fill and shake! Kids optional.
In case anyone is wondering, my youngest is 15-months-old and didn’t put a single pom pom in her mouth. Hopefully because she was too busy playing to think about eating them!
Because my girls are so young, I never leave them alone during our activities, even if they’re playing independently with something we’ve played with a million times.
I might relax with a cup of coffee or possibly catch up on social media, but I’m always watching.
Just remember the ABCs of kids activities: Always Be Checkingonthemkids!
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!