It has been a great start to the new year In School-Age 1! The children have been very interested in Perler Beads (Melty Beads) the last couple of weeks. These small beads are intricately placed on a grid peg board, then carefully melted so the beads stay together creating pixel art. While the children have enjoyed recreating pieces from video games and TV characters, they have also interpreted their own ideas creating beautiful abstract work. Perler Beads enable children to creatively express themselves through their art. Creating such designs also requires advanced fine motor skills and dexterity, while placing the beads on the small pegs. This activity promotes hand-eye coordination, colour recognition, and counting. It can also build the children's attention span as it requires focus from start to finish.
Before we started this activity, we set out the peg boards and each child received a small cup of beads to use. We mentioned that if they needed a specific colour they didn’t have, they were encouraged to ask their peers if they had the colour or to “trade” with someone. The children were also provided some templates they could use as references in case they weren’t sure what to make. Some children used the templates while others had ideas of their own. We let the children enjoy uninterrupted periods of time for this activity and it was observed that they were genuinely engaged with their creations.
