How to find play in Maths: Threading

Five fun ways to include mathematics in your play setups using threading

Threading as a play activity produces so many benefits. Not only hand eye coordination and the development of fine motor skills, but colour and pattern recognition, counting skills, sequencing and more.

Invitation to play

A threading invitation to play involves nothing more than presenting the materials for the children to explore. Things which they thread can be anything from buttons, to beads, to thread spools. These materials can be threaded onto laces, straws, scarves, ribbons, wool, and more. Tying the string to a wooden needle can add an extra element to the activity as the needle can be used to pierce fallen leaves to create patterns with natural loose parts.

A collage of two images. The first shows a fowl of fruit loops beside a long tray filled with shoe laces. There are two skewers stuck to the table with blu tac, one has some fruit loops threaded on. In the second, there is a round tray with five sections, each is filled with objects for threading, wooden beads, wooden spools, wooden rings, buttons and shoe laces. — Invitations to play with threading

Invitation to create

The next progression in this may be to add pattern cards or bead design pictures as provocations. Children are not expected to copy them, but having them in the play area may inspire students to recreate or make patterns of their own.

A collage of two images. The first shows a threading initiation to play. There is a bowl of wooden spools and beads, a smaller bowl of plastic pony beads, a tray of shoe laces, some sticks and wool lie on the table. The second photo is a close up of brown spikey wool wrapped around a stick. — An invitation to create

Further, there are specific activities with learning outcomes in mind which can be presented as play opportunities for threading, rather than worksheets.

100s bead strings (F-2)

Students use a shoelace or other material to create a 100 bead string with each set of 10 beads alternating in colour. This is a great counting activity and also introduces or reinforces the concept of counting by 10s. These strings can be kept for future activities, or unthreaded at the end of the lesson to allow the beads to be reused.

A black string lies on the table. It is threaded with red and white beads in alternating groups of ten. — 100 bead string

Pattern recognition and creation (3-4)

Children are provided with materials to copy and create patterns. These may be random patterns or may be based on number patterns such as counting by 2s or 3s. These can be used to assist in describing, continuing and creating patterns from repeated addition or subtraction. This could be built on to create patterns resulting from multiplication.

A collage of two pictures. In the first, a child attempts to copy a pattern of fruit loops that is hidden behind a book. In the second there are three strings of beads showing different patterns — Copying and creating patterns

Binary code name bracelet activity (5-6)

This activity from code.org involves providing students with a Binary Alphabet chart and letting them create a bracelet, necklace or even bag tag featuring their initials. Students could also explore how many beads of each colour they would need to write their entire name.

Do the children in your class love threading? How have you used threading to bring play into your classroom? Let me know!

How to find play in Maths: Threading

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