PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes | AGE: 6 - 20 months old
MATERIALS:
Empty milk/juice carton
Craft knife
Scissors
Tape
Pom poms
Container for the pom poms
Tissue paper/towel
INSTRUCTIONS:
Ensure the milk carton is clean and dry.
Use a craft knife to carefully cut a flap on one side of the milk carton, starting from the bottom and going about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up the carton. Make sure not to cut the bottom side.
If needed, wipe the inside of the milk carton with tissue paper or a towel to ensure it is dry.
Cover the flap with tape, starting from the bottom and leaving some additional tape at the top.
Push the flap inside the milk carton, being careful not to let the tape stick to the outside. Press the tape inside to stick it to the back and inside part of the carton, creating a ramp.
Place the pom poms in a container.
Invite the child to grab a pom pom and drop it through the opening at the top of the milk carton, observing as it falls down the ramp.
DEVELOPMENT AREAS:
FINE MOTOR SKILLS: Manipulating the pom poms and dropping them through the opening of the milk carton helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
CONCENTRATION AND FOCUS: Engaging in the task of dropping the pom poms down the ramp encourages children to focus their attention and concentrate on the activity at hand.
CAUSE AND EFFECT: Children learn about cause and effect relationships as they observe the pom poms rolling down the ramp when dropped through the opening. They begin to understand that their action of dropping the pom pom leads to a specific outcome.
SPATIAL AWARENESS: Navigating the pom poms through the opening and observing their movement down the ramp enhances spatial awareness and understanding of object placement and trajectories.
SENSORY EXPLORATION: Handling the pom poms provides a tactile and sensory experience, stimulating sensory exploration and awareness.
COGNITIVE SKILLS: The activity promotes cognitive skills such as problem-solving, as children may experiment with different techniques or angles to drop the pom poms and observe their path down the ramp.
CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION: Children can use their creativity and imagination to explore different ways of dropping the pom poms, encouraging imaginative thinking and exploration.
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: As children engage in the activity, they can describe their actions, observe the movement of the pom poms, and express their experiences, promoting language development and vocabulary expansion.
PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE: The activity encourages patience and perseverance as children repeat the action of dropping the pom poms and observe the outcomes, fostering resilience and determination.
