Yarn Pom-Pom

What you need

• wool (any colour or multiple colours)
• cardboard
• scissors

How to do it

1. 1Cut two matching doughnut shapes from cardboard: about 8cm across, with a 3cm hole in the middle and say: 'We're making a pom-pom.'
2. 2Hold both rings together. Wind wool through the hole and around the outside until nearly full.
3. 3Slide scissors between the two cards at the outer edge. Cut all the way around.
4. 4Tie a piece of wool tightly between the cards. Remove them and fluff into a ball.

Variations

• Korb-Tür: If the winding is tedious, work together on the winding instead of watching. The repetition is what makes it calming — participate. You're not trying to rush them through.
• Ausstieg: After the pom-pom is fluffed and admired, put it in a special box or display: 'Your pom-pom is done. We're keeping it.' Permanent placement marks closure.

What your child develops

• Sequential instruction following — each step must be done correctly before the next is possible
• Geometric intuition — wound wool distributed evenly across the circle naturally forms a sphere
• Fine motor — threading wool through a progressively shrinking hole requires precision and patience

Safety notes

• Supervise with scissors, particularly the outer-edge cutting step.