How to make a bead snake

Future Ticia 2019 here, ages ago the kids and I made a simple bead snake. It’s a great fine motor skills craft to make with your preschool kids in your homeschool preschool. Then it becomes a great “toy” to keep them entertained while the older kids homeschool.

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What you need for a homemade bead snake fine motor toy (kid version)

felt (for a less messy version buy adhesive felt), yarn (or ribbon as a variation or shoe lace), straws, buttons or googly eyes (I can’t find my googly eyes), wooden beads

Put together your bead snake fine motor toy

1. Cut out 2 snake heads.

2. Cut 2 pieces of yarn, one in red for the tongue, and one really long one for the body (I cut ours about 2 feet or so). Lay the red one at the mouth portion and the other at the back of the head

3. Glue the 2 head pieces together, use lots of glue. Also, I discovered that felt soaks up glue like nobody’s business. We used so much.

4. Smash that snake real well so it gets good and glued.

5. Choose 2 buttons for eyes. Glue them on. Mumble to yourself that you need to find those silly googly eyes.

Notice you can see the glue has soaked through the felt. It’s really sad

6. Take your straws, cut them into little pieces (I cut mine between .5 inches and 1.5 inches). This was a great way to use up some non-bendy straws I had accidentally bought.

7. Start threading them onto the yarn. To make it easier to thread tape the end of the yarn. After they’ve been playing for a while have a kid come up to you wanting to put “beads” on the tongue and think, I should have taped that one as well.

As a side note, I would like to point out how I was good and let the kids mostly guide this activity. I did not seize the felt take it to the sewing machine and get it done quickly as I was tempted. I was GOOD. Now later when the snakes fell apart because the glue doesn’t hold it together like it should because of the ridiculous absorbency, then I sewed it together. But, that’s another story. I also need to sew an eye on. They have been playing with these nonstop since we made them. We had to take them over to a friend’s house just to show off our snakes.

How to make a more permanent bead snake fine motor toy

Follow steps 1 and 2

3. Sew buttons on for eyes, or stick your googly eyes on.

4. Sew the snake head together

5. Tape the end of the yarn or ribbon to make it easier to thread

More Great Preschool Inspiration

• Rabbit preschool unit
• Make a toy barn
• Fine motor skills game
• Days of Creation book, part 1
• Zoo preschool unit