Spooning

Materials:

• Tray

• 2 small, shallow, identical bowls

• Content such as dry beans

• Small, well-balanced spoon

Purposes:

• Independence

• Visual-Motor Coordination

• Coordination of the first 3 fingers of the hand 

• An indirect preparation for handwriting/holding a writing implement

Age: 2 ½ - 3 ½

Preparation: Carrying a tray 

Presentation:

• Invite one child for a lesson on spooning.

• Show the child the materials, how to pick up and carry the tray, return it to the shelf and allow the child to bring it to a table.

• Sit to the child’s right.

• Orient tray in front of the child with beans on the left and explain what you will do. 

• Pick up the spoon with a non-dominant hand and transfer it to your right fingers.

• Show the child how to hold the spoon with the three-finger grip, like a pencil grip

• Ground the full bowl with the non-dominant fingers, keeping it on the tray.

• Pause

• Dip the spoon in the beans

• Move the spoon over the empty bowl

• Pause.

• Tip the spoon pouring the beans into the dish exaggerating the tip of the hand.

• Continue in this way until the beans are transferred to the bowl on the right.

• Lovingly pick up any spilled beans after the bowl is emptied

• Begin moving the beans back to the left bowl, in the same manner, keeping the left hand on the full bowl to ground it.  

• Halfway through transferring into the left bowl, place the spoon in-between the dishes.

• Invite the child to continue correcting the holding of the spoon if necessary. Encourage repetition

• Fade and observe

Points of Interest:

• Correct /use of the spoon with a three-finger grip.

• The sound and sight of pouring the beans from the spoon.

• Getting every bean without tipping the bowl.

• Moving a full spoon without a spill.

Following Exercises:

• Changing spoons, dishes, and contents will keep this exercise interesting.

• Measuring spoons with a popsicle stick to level is a preparation for baking.

• Spoon liquids with a special soup spoon/ladle from one bowl to the other. 

• Older children can count how many scoops it takes to fill the bowl for an additional level of rigor. 

Pedagogical Notes:

• Wait a couple of weeks into the school year to put this exercise on the shelf. Present how to clean up a spill first so they are prepared in the event they drop the tray.

• Place the spoon vertically in the tray so the child can use either hand to take it.  Some children will not have decided on their dominant hand yet.

• Check the weight of the materials because this is an exercise that can get heavy.

• The right spoon will balance perfectly when you place the neck of the spoon (the part between the bowl of the spoon and the neck) on your fingertip.

• When we transfer the activity to the child before the second dish is emptied, we are offering an invitation to the will to finish the task.