The weather is warming up and the world is springing back to life!
This is a terrific time to help your child to be playfully curious about the world. Learning through play engages both the logical and creative parts of the brain at the same time, and it is how your child develops important skills they will use for a lifetime. Through playful interaction with loved ones and the world around them, your child is discovering who he or she is as an individual. This colorful popsicle-stick activity is a simple way for your toddler to entertain himself while encouraging both physical and social-emotional learning. An adult will need to poke the holes into the bottom of the egg carton, and you can let your child color on the popsicle sticks as his or her abilities allow. Then watch the learning happen as your little one examines how the parts come together. Exploring how things come together and apart builds fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and math skills like predicting and estimating. Observe closely for cues of the different feelings your child is experiencing and talk about them in a loving way.
Materials:
– Six Count Egg Carton
– Popsicle Sticks
– Markers
– Exacto Knife
Directions:
– Using the bottom of the egg carton, color circles (6 total) using a different color for each circle.
– Cut a slit in each color circle wide enough for the popsicle stick.
– Color one end of the popsicle sticks (6 total) to match the colors on the egg carton.
– Have your child match the color sticks by inserting them into the color circle of the egg carton.
