Activity 35: Paper Plate Play!

Age Range: 21/2-Years-Old on…

Area being Developed: Learning

Set yourself up with a supply of paper plates, crayons, and children’s scissors. Then begin your creative fun. Here are some ideas:

1. Color together on paper plates. After you have a nice collection, cut some in half. Then take turns matching different ones together. After you have had fun with halves, move on to quarters. Use your new shapes to make up your own matching game. Be sure to use the terms “half” and quarter,” when you play with your child.
2. Make some happy face designs. You can even cut out two eyes, a nose, and a mouth and wear them as masks.
3. Write numbers from 1 to 12 around the paper plate to make a clock face. Then attach to the center of the plate with a brass fastener two hands made out of stiff colored strips. Then have fun with your child introducing time on the hour.
4. Make-a-mailbox. After coloring two plates on both sides, cut one in half. Then staple a half to a whole making a compartment for family fun mail. Hole punch the top, add a yarn loop, and hang in a great location.

Parenting Insight…

Do you remember coloring on paper plates and the fun it was when you ran your crayon over the fluted edges?  If you do, you probably would not want your child to miss that same opportunity.

While it is great to have a stack of these 9” paper plates handy for snacks and informal meals, it is just as great to have them ready for simple creative projects.

RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT

* Better understands the part/whole relationship 

* Coordinates a two-handed activity 

* Takes pride in achievements, resists help 

* Identifies objects by description of what it does