I have been wanting to create some DIY lacing cards for a long time and it really is so easy, but I get into the habit of tossing out cardboard as soon as it enters the house. BUT I finally remembered and it was such an easy activity to create and I think it is going to end up being a very purposeful activity for my little ones.
Lacing cards have so many benefits such as fine motor improvement and hand eye coordination. The pincer grasp is strengthened during this activity, which will in turn help as your littles begin writing. Lacing cards are also a great activity for our toddlers and young kids to practice patience. To create DIY Lacing Cards you will need:
Some spare cardboard
A Sharpie
Scissors
Yarn (shoe laces would work great too!)
Tape (I used painter's tape)
Hole Punch https://amzn.to/3XAFbNW
Here is what I did:
1. I started off by doing a quick draw of the shapes I wanted to cut out on cardboard. Feel free to trace if you are wanting a bit more perfection. In the center I drew the shape again, and then wrote out the word of the shape.
2. Cut around the tracing, keeping the marker visible.
3. Punch holes (as many as you think your little one can handle) along the shape line.
4. Grab some yarn and painter's tape. Measure out yarn long enough to feed around the whole shape, with some spare. Add tape to the end pieces of the yarn to keep it from fraying.
That's all! It took me maybe 20-30 minutes to make three of these. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you would like by creating pictures, adding more hole punches, adding more color, etc. You could also print off a picture and add some clear packing tape before cutting and hole punching!
Of course, if you don't want to create your own, there is always the option to buy some really great quality lacing cards!
Melissa and Doug Lacing cards
(click for link to Amazon)
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