Magnetic Worm Catching Game — Wooden Fruit and Rod

A wooden fruit with holes drilled through it and coloured wooden worms tucked inside, each with a magnetic head. Your child uses a magnetic rod to fish the worms out one by one. It looks simple and is not: the rod has to be lined up and lifted steadily or the worm drops back in.

How you play

1. Push the coloured worms into the holes in the wooden fruit.
2. Hold the rod by its handle, the way you would hold a thick pencil.
3. Bring the magnetic tip slowly to a worm's head until it grips.
4. Lift straight up, steadily, without knocking the sides.
5. Catch them all — then try catching specific colours in order.

What it builds

• The pencil grip, practised while doing something that is not writing
• Very fine control — the lift has to be slow and straight
• Concentration, since a rushed pull loses the worm
• Colour naming and sequencing when you add the colour challenge

Three ways to play it

• Call a colour and let your child catch that one only
• Time a full clear-out and try to beat it
• Use the other hand once the usual one is confident

The details

• Ages: 1–6 years
• Material: wood