Scoop and Transfer Activity for Toddlers

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Today’s activity from guest author Kamya K. is so simple to set up, and a great way to keep toddlers busy!

Do you have a basket, a few different sized balls, and some scoops or cups? If so, this scoop and transfer activity for toddlers is a perfect way to work on fine motor, gross motor, counting, and color identification skills… at the same time!

1-minute setup for the scoop and ball transfer

I filled a basket with balls of different colors (affiliate link) in one end of the room and an empty basket on the other side of the room.

I handed my little one (20 months old) a strainer and asked her to scoop the balls from the basket. (You could also use a scoop, cup, or small bowl.)

Sometimes she would scoop it, some other times she found it easier to just pick up a ball with her hand and place it into the strainer. I deliberately placed some bigger balls that will not fit in the strainer. She would discard them saying ‘Too big’.

With a ball in the strainer, she had to walk/run/hop with the ball in the strainer and transfer it to the empty basket. It was some great gross motor practice!

Then we repeated the activity with a second scoop – one in each hand.

Step it up a notch!

To mix things up, I moved the destination basket to a different side of the room and watched her change direction while she walked with the strainer half way. I was amused to see her change directions without any hesitation.

We also added a memory challenge by telling the color of the ball she needs to scoop next when she’s scooping a ball. She got most of them right – a pleasant surprise!

After she transferred all the balls, we sorted them by color, size and counted them. As another option, you can mark several different baskets or bowls with their own color (with a scrap of construction paper perhaps). Then ask your child to match the balls to the corresponding baskets.

I might make this activity a bit more challenging the next time by placing a balance beam between the two baskets and have her balance on it while carrying the strainer.

Seeing her have so much fun with this simple activity was truly fulfilling for me – Happy child, happy mommy! We were able to work on her balancing, color identification, counting skills, memory, and sorting skills.

How fast can your child transfer all the balls?

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