Today, I’m so excited to welcome Jaimi to the blog with an amazing preschool activity! Jaimi is from The Stay At Home Mom Survival Guide and I’m so happy that she’s hear sharing her expertise with you today! Without any further ado, here’s Jaimi with an awesome preschool activity that’s great for implementing at home, or in your preschool classroom.
Bang the Box: Preschool Activity
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Kids love to bang-pots and pans, stomping feet on the floor, banging the wall-the sensory activity of banging is exploration for toddlers and preschoolers. The sounds made, or reactions from banging an object are interesting to preschool kids. They are eager learners and we often have to channel their interests into more positive directions.
Enter the “Bang the Box” activity!
My kids love to use toy hammers to bang different toys…and sometimes they reach a little too far and bang something they shouldn’t.
I created this simple DIY toy to take the banging interest and turn it into a learning experience beyond sensory exploration.
This activity for preschoolers who like to bang and explore cause and effect can be adapted for learning letters, shapes or colors. I have included a list of ideas for how toddlers, preschoolers and even older kids can play with this DIY toy.
All you need to create your own bang the box activity are:
an empty box
a scrap piece of wrapping paper or craft paper
tape
stickers (color dots, foam letters, or shapes work well)
Here are the steps for making this DIY toy:
1) Grab your box, or boxes if you want to make more than one.
2) Tape the box shut and wrap it with the scrap piece of paper taping it as needed to seal any seams. (This prevents tearing.)
If you are using a scrap piece of wrapping paper, wrap with the solid color out so the pattern does not distract from the stickers that will be added to the outside.
3) Add stickers to the box.
Your child can randomly stick the stickers where they like so that they do not overlap. Cover all the sides leaving a little space between each sticker so each can be identified.
We made one with foam letter stickers, and another that used the colored dot stickers. (The color stickers are a great way to adapt this activity for younger kids,)
4) Time to play!
If your preschooler is older, this is a great way to challenge them since the letters are in random order.
Fun ways to play with the Bang a Box Activity:
COLORS
-Use the hammer to bang a color and say it.
-You say a color and your child searches for all the stickers of that color banging them all.
-Count the stickers as they are banged.
LETTERS
-Your child uses the toy hammer to bang a letter and say it.
-You can call out letters for your child to find and bang.
SPELLING
-Bang the letters that spell their name or names of family members.
-Bang the letters that spell simple sight words.
(To adapt this idea for children who are not yet reading sight words, write some words on a piece of paper or index cards and ask them to find the letters that spell each word. So great for encouraging pre-reading and pre-spelling skills! It\ becomes a spelling scavenger hunt.)
This bang the box activity for preschool is a great way to upcycle boxes you would otherwise recycle. DIY toys are fun ways for kids to play and learn.
The boxes held up well to my four children. You can always reinforce by taping around the entire box with pieces of packaging tape. That keeps it more waterproof too!
What other ways can you think of to adapt this banging activity? What is your favorite DIY toy you made for your child?
Jaimi Erickson is a mom to 4 (2+twins), a military wife, former teacher and blogger at The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide. She shares encouragement for moms, homemaking tips and simple activities for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age kids. She would love to connect with you over on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.
Erica Leggiero, M.S. Ed.
Erica Leggiero, M.S. Ed. has been working and teaching in the field of early childhood education for over 7 years. Erica is currently the director and teacher at a Preschool Enrichment Program in her area. Erica believes that young children learn best through play and exploration, and she is constantly looking for new and creative ways to incorporate learning through play. She embraces this belief in all of the activities she creates in her preschool classroom, and loves sharing them here on her blog. Erica has also co-authored the book, "Learn With Play" with other kid bloggers in the preschool field.
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My kids love using a hammer. This is a great idea!