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February 10, 2011 | 10 Comments

Shape Shake

This simple activity requires very few supplies. All you need are scissors, craft foam, yarn, a marker, and a hole punch (can use scissors instead).

First cut strands of yarn about 4-5 feet long. Tie them to something extremely sturdy, such as a doorknob. This yarn is going to see a lot of action. Make a strand for each child playing.

Cut craft foam in squares and punch or cut a hole. Be sure to make the hole large. Your children will be threading the yarn through this hole.

Draw shapes, letters, words, whatever you would like them to practice learning onto the craft foam squares.

Ask your child to grab the square that is a specific color or has a certain shape/letter on it. Have them thread the yarn through the square.

The best part of this activity is that it is perfect for different stages in development. I instructed one child to do colors (2 yrs old), while the other child did shapes (3 yrs old). Later on when my 4 yr old returned home from preschool I had him play along with letters.

Now to get some great use out of competitiveness and sibling rivalry. Have each child hold the end of their yarn strand with the square at their hands. Tell them to shake the yarn to get the square to the doorknob. Make it a race!

This activity is also great for one child, too. Use their determination (which we all know they have) to jump and shake that square to the doorknob.

Be prepared for a lot of jumping, wiggling, and giggling. This was so much fun for everyone, especially me standing back watching them burn off some energy while learning and having a blast.

PLEASE NOTE: This activity is designed to be parent involved. Do not use this activity as a busy activity while you leave the room. The long strands of yarn can be dangerous with young children if not supervised. You will need to monitor your children closely and be sure they do not wrap themselves with the yarn.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kim is a contributing writer for No Time For Flash Cards, a mom to a toddler, a preschooler, and a foster parent, too. She juggles her day by trying out fun activities and crafts with the kids. After all, she is just a big kid herself. See what she has been up to over at Mom Tried It.

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Fine Motor Activities, Lacing Activities, Preschool Crafts, Shape Activities | 10 Comments

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10 Comments

  1. melissa says

    February 10, 2011 at 4:26 am

    love it! but i have no foam on hand…maybe a dash to the store today:) i think my 4 year old would love this!

    to melissa" aria-label='reply to this comment to melissa'>reply to this comment
  2. Jennifer says

    February 10, 2011 at 5:52 am

    I LOVE this!! And I have plenty of both on hand!! Thank you for sharing!

    to Jennifer" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jennifer'>reply to this comment
  3. Sandy says

    February 10, 2011 at 5:52 am

    So cool and yet another activity I can do while we are stuck indoors due to the frigid cold we are having! Thanks for sharing!

    to Sandy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sandy'>reply to this comment
  4. JDaniel4's Mom says

    February 10, 2011 at 7:03 am

    This looks like so much fun!

    to JDaniel4's Mom" aria-label='reply to this comment to JDaniel4's Mom'>reply to this comment
  5. Kim Young says

    February 10, 2011 at 8:39 am

    Melissa- Grab a piece of cardboard. It will work almost as good. It is harder to do colors, but shapes and anything written will work great. 🙂

    to Kim Young" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kim Young'>reply to this comment
  6. Kelly says

    February 10, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    Love it! We’re going to use it to practice letters and numbers. My son isn’t the “sit down and do worksheets” kind of kid, this will be great! Thank you!

    to Kelly" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kelly'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Shape Shake | No Time For Flash Cards -- Topsy.com says:
    February 10, 2011 at 4:59 am

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Samantha Davis, Pamm. Pamm said: Shape Shake: This simple activity requires very few supplies. All you need are scissors, craft foam, yarn, a mar… http://bit.ly/fdULsJ […]

    to Tweets that mention Shape Shake | No Time For Flash Cards -- Topsy.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to Tweets that mention Shape Shake | No Time For Flash Cards -- Topsy.com'>reply to this comment
  2. Weekend Reads 2.12.11 | Not Just Cute says:
    February 12, 2011 at 12:55 am

    […] Shape Shake & Estimating Activity {No Time for Flashcards} […]

    to Weekend Reads 2.12.11 | Not Just Cute" aria-label='reply to this comment to Weekend Reads 2.12.11 | Not Just Cute'>reply to this comment
  3. Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute says:
    February 25, 2011 at 10:27 am

    […] Active Games: Incorporate concepts into fun games like Twister (substitute color cues for other concepts like letters, numbers or sight words for older children–”Right foot on a triangle”), arrange terms or concepts across the room and hop from one to the other as you call them out in a hot lava game, or pin cards onto shirts and play red rover calling for numbers, letters, or shapes instead of using the children’s names.  (No Time for Flashcards has a fun shaky game here.) […]

    to Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute" aria-label='reply to this comment to Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute'>reply to this comment
  4. Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute says:
    July 11, 2012 at 6:07 am

    […] Active Games:  Incorporate concepts into fun games like Twister (substitute color cues for other concepts like letters, shapes, numbers, or sight words for older children — “Right foot on a triangle”), arrange terms or concepts across the room and hop from one to the other as you call them out in a hot lava game, or pin cards onto shirts and play red rover calling for numbers, letters, or shapes instead of using the children’s names.  (No Time for Flashcards has a fun game for learning shapes here.) […]

    to Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute" aria-label='reply to this comment to Do You Use Flashcards? | Not Just Cute'>reply to this comment

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