Tot School Tuesdays - Transferring Objects

Tot School Tuesday is when I share tips and ideas for tot school. Zeke is 3 years old so technically he is still considered a toddler. We do some preschool work as well. Today I'm going to talk about transferring and why it's an important skill.

Transferring is exactly what it sounds like - it's transferring objects from one container to another. We have done this is many different ways. There is no right or wrong way to practice this skill!

Transferring is important because it helps build the fine motor muscles in your child's hand needed to do harder tasks later on - cutting with scissors, writing with a pencil, and buttoning their own clothes. It's also an easy way to practice crossing the midline (which is also exactly what it sounds like - crossing from one side of the body to the other).

An invitation for Zeke to transfer plastic bugs with tongs onto bottle caps

You can introduce transferring activities to your child as young as a year old. Zeke began transferring objects with his hands at about that age. The older they get, the bigger variety of transferring tools you can offer. Transferring tools can be as simple as a spoon or as complex as a pair of tweezers. You can find many great tools at your dollar store - mini tongs, large plastic serving spoons, kid's plastic tweezers, magnetic wands, and even salad servers. In fact you may have many of these at home!

Zeke (3) transferring cotton balls with tongs

Zeke (18 months) transferring cotton balls with a spoon

There are so many options for what your child can transfer, too! A few of the things we have transferred are:

• dried beans
• cotton balls
• pom poms
• water
• plastic animals
• glass beads
• wooden eggs
• rice
• rocks and pebbles
• beads
• buttons
• jingle bells
• plastic gems
• small pinecones

To introduce transferring to your toddler, simply gather two small containers, a transferring tool, and objects to transfer! If your child is new to this activity, be sure to begin with something easy. Cotton balls and a spoon work well for the first time. If they resort to using their hands, let them! You want your child to be comfortable with this activity before making it a bit challenging.

Zeke (2.5) transferring colored water with syringes

Even though Zeke has been transferring objects for about two years now, he still enjoys the activity and reaps benefits each time. I've watched him go from using his hands to learning how to manipulate a pair of tongs and move objects! We continue to transfer objects because it's continually building those fine motor muscles! 

Zeke (2) transferring rocks with a spoon

What objects has your toddler transferred?