Tu B'Shevat Grape Bead Threading

I love creating simple activities with big developmental impacts and this Tu B’Shevat Grape Bead Threading activity totally fit: such a simple concept and set up that allowed for wonderful developmental skills practices. I initially set up this activity for my preschooler, but the toddler and the second grader also joined and had a fun time, which is always so great!

This set up includes a pattern prompt. There are many benefits to practicing and working with patterns. Children learn how to make predictions, they think about sequencing and practicing matching colors (or shapes, etc.). They also practice logic and reasoning skills. It was super easy to include pattern practice with this activity, but the core of the activity is the threading. Threading is a wonderful way to practice and further develop fine motor skills and eye hand coordination. You could easily focus on just the threading part of the activity and not include the pattern prompt. As always, find what works best for your family!

What You’ll Need

Wooden ball beads
Green and purple paint
Paintbrushes
Grape Bead Threading Pattern Prompt free printable
Pipe Cleaner
Optional: playdough
Optional: real grapes and a straw

Putting It Together

Print out the Grape Bead Threading Pattern Prompt. If you don’t want to focus on creating patterns, you don’t have to use the prompt and instead just have fun threading.
Paint half your beads green and half your beads purple. We got our beads from Woodpeckers Crafts. If you use the discount code WithLoveIma5 you’ll 5% your order! Enjoy!
Once the beads dry, set up your invitation with the beads, the Grape Bead Threading Pattern Prompt, and a pipe cleaner. Invite your child to thread the grape beads onto the pipe cleaner.
I also included playdough to create a base that the pipe cleaner could stand in. My intention was for a vertical practice (hence the orientation of the pattern prompt!) but you could leave the playdough out and just work on threading without it.
Talk about how grapes are one of the seven species that we celebrate and eat during Tu B’Shevat
If you want, bring out real grapes and a straw and invite your child to thread real grapes for a fun interactive Tu B’Shevat snack!

Finished & Loving It!

This activity was such a success! It was so simple to set up and my three youngest kids all enjoyed it. I targeted my preschooler with this activity to further practice his fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. I was so happy my toddler gave it a try too! This was a challenge for him but challenges are great. I love having the option for the challenge and being totally ok with when he’s rather play with the playdough and beads instead.

I also wanted my preschooler to work with patterns. And he was so into it! He excitedly called out each color as he threaded it on the pipe cleaner. This totally worked for speech practice too, yay!

I set up the activity with the playdough base. Using a base and making the activity makes the pipe cleaner more steady and easier to thread. You could totally leave the playdough out and have your child practice without it. If you still want them to follow the pattern prompt, just turn the paper horizontal!

After going through all the pattern prompts, my kids enjoyed making their own patterns and filling up their pipe cleaners all the way to the top. Love it!

We happened to have real grapes in the fridge so I also quickly put together a real life threading snack. He threaded the real grapes onto a straw, no pattern to follow of course, then ate away. Yum!

We’ve been working with the seven species these last weeks so all it took was a reminder that grapes were one of the seven species that we celebrate and eat during Tu B’Shevat. We’d mainly been eating them in raisin form so it was fun to review their connection and their original form!

Let me know if you try the bead version or the real version! Either one is a wonderful opportunity to discuss an important part of the holiday of Tu B’Shevat and practice developmental skills!