String game: Cat’s whiskers

Old-fashioned string games like Cat's whiskers are a fun way to develop your child's fine motor skills. This string activity sounds complicated, but if you watch our video tutorial below you'll see how simple it is.

What you need:

• 100cm long piece of string, looped and tied together at the ends

Number of players:
1+

Activity:

Watch the video to see how to make cat's whiskers out of string.

Step 1: Start with the string behind your thumbs and pinkies, running across both palms.

Step 2: With your right hand, reach across to the left hand and hook your pointer finger under the string that runs across the palm.

Step 3: Pull your hands apart.

Step 4: Do the same thing with the string on your left hand.

Step 5: Drop the loops off your thumbs.

Step 6: With both thumbs, reach under all of the strings and hook the strings farthest away and pull the string back under the others.

Step 7: Spread your fingers apart.

Step 8: With your thumbs, reach over the first pointer finger string and under the second pointer finger string.

Step 9: Pull your thumbs back towards your body, there will be two loops on each thumb. Drop the loops off your pinkie fingers.

Step 10: Stretch your pinkies over the string closest to them that is on the pointer finger and hook them under the next string that is on the thumbs.

Step 11: Spread your fingers and pull the string into place with your pinkies.

Step 12: Drop the loops from your thumbs.

Step 13: You’ve made cat’s whiskers!

Now you have mastered Cat's whiskers, you can turn them into a Jacob's ladder string figure.

• Thanks to our sister company Kidspot Australia for the instructional video.