In Romania we have this tradition of Martisor. It’s celebrated on March, the 1-st and It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year.
This year we made ourselves martisoare in order to be offered to our dear ones – female only :P. Instead of jewelry or small object we used what we found around the house: corn, black pepper, beans, yellow peas, amaranth seeds, even rice.
I intentionally used seeds of different sizes to practice motor skills. It is recommended that young children be constantly involved in activities that require holding small and large objects in their fingers.