Baby Play: Pool Noodle Abacus

After each of my baby storytimes, I include a Discovery Time free-play session that encourages parents to talk to one another and to interact with their children. I include a variety of fine motor, gross motor, and sensory activities that appeal to 0-2-year-olds.

The pool noodle abacus helps the littlest children practice fine motor skills and older toddlers and preschool practice basic math. While a true abacus requires more than two strings, this creates a similar effect for young learners, while also providing a cool activity to experiment with how the pool noodle pieces move back and forth and how much pressure the yarn can withstand.

I tied the string between two chairs, though I would suggest something more sturdy if you have that available. Many children moved the chairs or manged to remove one end of the string (the top piece was taped on instead of tied on). Also consider whether you want the string closer to a wall or further away–having the lower string further from the wall encouraged climbing between the strings. This can be a great way to practice gross motor skills, or it can also be seen as a tripping hazard.

How to Make A Pool Noodle Abacus

Materials: yarn, pool noodles, knife, scissors

Steps:

• Use the knife to cut 1-2 pool noodles into roughly 1-3″ pieces.
• Tie one end of a piece of thick yarn to a sturdy surface, like a chair.
• String about 20 pool noodle pieces onto the string (or whatever amount fits in the space you have).
• Cut the other end of the string, leaving at least 1-2 feet of empty string so pieces can be moved easily.
• Securely tie the other end of the string to another sturdy surface.
• Repeat for however many rows of strings you would like to create.

Cost: $0-5

• 2 Pool Noodles (Dollar Tree)
• Yarn

Time to Make: 10 minutes

Pro-Tip: To expand this activity, try cutting a vertical slit in one side of a pool noodle piece so the pool noodle piece can also be removed from the string. Little ones can explore how to add or remove pool noodle pieces from the abacus.

Conversation Starters

Start conversations as babies play with this tool by asking questions like:

• How many red pool noodle pieces are on the rope?
• Can you find a blue pool noodle?
• How many pool noodle pieces are on the rope total?
• Can you push five pieces to one side of the rope?
• How do the pool noodles feel?

Stretch Vocabulary

When talking with little ones, use big words and small words. The more new words a child hears, the larger their vocabulary will be when they start to learn to read.

Consider using some of the following vocabulary words when using this activity: