No.208
Button Spinner
Japanese name: ぶんぶんごま
Materials
- A thick-paper disc with smoothly rounded edges
- About 80 cm of cotton cord
- Pen
- Hole-punching tools for adult use
How to play
- An adult makes two holes on opposite sides of the disc's center, slightly less than 1 cm apart. Thread the cord through both holes and tie its ends together into a loop.
- Decorate the disc. Hook the loop ends over fingers of the left and right hands, with the disc centered between them. Never wrap cord around the neck or wrists.
- Bring the hands slightly closer and swing the disc forward several times to twist the cord. Keep it at a height where it will not hit the face.
- Pull gently outward with both hands to spin the disc. Relax before the cord fully unwinds, allowing the disc's reverse rotation to twist it again.
- Repeat pulling and relaxing while observing the spin, sound, and patterns. Stop if the cord is damaged, and rest the fingers about every minute.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children: watch an adult demonstration. Younger primary school children: get help twisting the cord. Older primary school children: compare patterns.