tongs Archives | Mama OTMama OT

Tongs, tweezers, and chopsticks are great for developing hand skills necessary for cutting with scissors and writing with pencils. Earlier this week I shared a DIY tutorial on how to make kiddie chopsticks, and I mentioned that the ability to use tongs is a pre-scissors skill, and the ability to use scissors is a pre-writing skill. When kids use tongs, they have to learn to “separate” the two sides of their hands (thumb/index finger side and middle/ring/pinky finger side), and this is exactly what is needed in order to successfully operate both scissors and a pencil. Think about it…

Tong play can begin as early as toddlerhood (I love to give toddlers short salad tongs so they can use with their whole hand to start) and can progress to more refined use of kiddie chopsticks and tiny tweezers as kids progress through elementary school. It’s never too late to have fun with tongs!

Below you’ll find a list of 50 fun ways to play with tongs. Some are my ideas (which I’m sure have also been done by others) and the rest are the wonderful ideas of those who work with kids and have blogged about it — therapists, parents, teachers, daycare providers, and more. Be sure to submit other ideas for tongs/tweezers/chopsticks play in the comments section at the end of this post…we’d love to hear your ideas!

Practice Makes Perfect

1. Feed the Big Mouth Frog from Therapy Fun Zone

2. Tongs with Pipe Cleaners from Embrace Your Chaos

3. Candy, Tongs, and Suction Cups from Havin’ Fun Yet?

4. Beads with Suction Cups from PreKinders

5. Beads in a Paint Palette from PreKinders

6. Pom Poms with Tweezers in an Ice Cube Tray from PreKinders

7. Pom Poms in a Bottle with Tongs from PreKinders

8. Pom Pom Tea Party from It’s a Long Story

9. Seeds and Tweezers from PreKinders

10. Tongs and Marbles on a Bath Mat from Play Based Learning

11. Tongs and Bath Toys from i’m going to make it (after all)

Around the House

12. Pick up dirty clothes with tongs and place in laundry basket

13. Go on a toy scavenger hunt with tongs and a bag/basket

14. Feed the family pet (e.g., dog, fish) using tongs

15. Clean up bath toys with tongs and put in a bag or bucket

The Great Outdoors

16. Collect pieces of nature (leaves, sticks, etc.) with tongs and put in a bag or bucket

Games and Puzzles
17. Stack blocks while using tongs from Embrace Your Chaos

18. Tong Jenga

19. Use tongs to move game pieces while playing board games from Embrace Your Chaos

20. Use tongs or chip clips to pick up puzzle pieces that have tiny knobs on top from Embrace Your Chaos

Games with Names

21. Bed Bugs from Amazon.com

22. Operation from Amazon.com

23. Hungry Dog from Amazon.com

24. Hungry Monkey from Amazon.com

25. Hungry Bunny from Amazon.com

26. Wok and Roll from Amazon.com

27. Scatterpillar Scramble from Amazon.com

In the Kitchen
28. Use tongs to pull toast out of the toaster

29. Use tongs to help serve foods at mealtime such as fruits, veggies, pasta, and salad

30. Eat with tongs (salad, pasta, meat, popcorn, etc.)

Getting Crafty

31. Complete crafts while using tongs or tweezers (e.g., placing items like beans, dry macaroni, cotton balls, pom poms, balls of tissue paper, etc. onto glue) from Embrace Your Chaos

32. Beans on a Tiger with Tweezers from Lessons Learnt Journal

33. Pom Pom Tong Art from It’s a Long Story

34. Winter Crafts with Tongs from Embrace Your Chaos

35. Wizard Hat Craft with Tongs from Embrace Your Chaos

36. Perler Beads with Tweezers from christiekiley

Pre-Academics

37. Pom Pom Muffin Tin Sorting from Childcare Land

38. Math with Tongs from PreKinders

39. Beads and Numbers in an Egg Carton from Mrs. Kelly’s Kindergarten

40. Rainbow Beads in an Egg Carton from Katy Lane

41. AB Pattern in an Egg Carton from Katy Lane

Sensory Play

42. Sensory Bin Fun with Tongs from Embrace Your Chaos

43. Tongs, Teddy Bear Counters, and Water from We Can Do All Things

44. Water Table Tongs from The Activity Mom

Unique Tongs/Tweezers

45. iPad Chopsticks from Therapy Fun Zone

46. Bug Tongs from christiekiley (for bugs or something less gross…like balls of playdough…your call)

47. Straw Tweezers from Teach Preschool

48. Gator Grabber Tweezers from Achievement Products for Special Needs

49. Squinkies and Zinkies from Therapy Fun Zone

50. Edison Training/Helper Chopsticks from Therapy Fun Zone

. . . . .

Share your ideas below for more fun ways to play with tongs!

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Kiddie chopsticks are really easy to make. And did you know that when kids play with tongs and chopsticks, they are actually practicing fine motor skills that will help them with cutting and writing?

The ability to use tongs and kiddie chopsticks is a pre-scissor skill, and the ability to use scissors is a pre-writing skill.

Pretty cool, huh? Tong play is especially great for older toddlers and preschool-aged kids. Be sure to encourage them to use their “pincher fingers” (thumb and index finger, and younger ones can add in the middle finger) when operating their tongs so they can exercise the right muscles for learning to use scissors, crayons, and pencils. If they have difficulty figuring out which fingers to use, tell them to make an “L” shape with their thumb and index finger before placing them on the tongs…learned this trick from a parent, and it’s brilliant!

You only need three things to make kiddie chopsticks:
• A set of cheap chopsticks
• The paper that comes with the chopsticks
• A rubberband

Step 1. Break apart the chopsticks.

Step 2. Roll up the paper all the way to the end.

Step 3. Place the rolled up paper in between the two broken ends.

Step 4. Place the rubberband over the chopsticks, on the side of the paper that’s closest to the middle.

Step 5. Pull the rubberband down, twist to form an “X”, and bring it up over the outer end of the chopsticks.

Step 6. Wrap remaining rubberband around the end until tight and secure.

Ta-da! Easy peasy.

A few tips: (1) The thicker you roll the paper, the wider your chopsticks will be (great for beginners). (2) Cheap, square-ish chopsticks are easier for kids to use than fancy round ones. Just grab a pair the next time you order take-out and you’ll be good to go.

If you feel like you need a little more visual guidance check out this great, easy-to-follow video: How to Make Kid-Friendly Chopsticks (this is actually how I learned to make them).

Kids can use these chopsticks to practice picking up and placing various items (such as balls of play dough) into containers. Have them pinch off the dough and roll the balls themselves for added fine motor practice.

Kids can also use tongs to increase challenge while stacking small blocks. (I’m thinking chopstick Jenga might be a fun challenge, too!)

Be sure to check back later this week for a big list of ideas with lots of different ways to play with tongs/chopsticks to promote your child’s fine motor and pre-writing development.

Have fun!

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Mama OT

Tips and tricks for those who care for children

Tag Archives: tongs

50 Fun Ways to Play with Tongs

How to Make Kiddie Chopsticks