Supporting Christian Science families and their young children
Materials
Purchased lacing cards or card stock
Hole puncher
Scissors
Shoelace
Directions
Cut simple shapes out of card stock. Invite your child to punch holes around the shapes. Using a shoestring, encourage your child to sew around the shape with an up/down pattern.
Materials
Construction paper cut into rectangles (approximately 4×6)
Pictures of purple objects (cut from magazines or clip art)
Glue stick
Stapler
Marker
Directions
Cut pictures of purple objects from magazines or clip art. Invite your child to choose one picture to glue on each 4×6 piece of construction paper. Talk about each object and label each page (e.g. purple grapes, purple buttons, purple hat, etc.) Once the pages are complete, staple them together to make a book. Add a cover with the title, “My Purple Book”. Read the book frequently to your child and have her read the book to you, too.
Materials
12×18 piece of purple construction paper
Small objects to decorate crown (e.g. plastic jewels, sequins, stickers, feathers)
Glitter
Glue
Stapler
Directions
Cut construction paper in half lenthwise to be 6×18. Invite your child to decorate the front of the paper by gluing feathers, jewels, foam pieces, stickers, etc. Sprinkle the crown with a little glitter to make it sparkly. Once the glue is dry, wrap the paper around your child’s head and staple to make a crown. It can be as simple or elaborate as your child would like it to be.
Materials
Large piece of purple construction paper
Googly eyes, feathers, purple easter grass, purple foam pieces, purple pipe cleaners
Glue
Directions
Inspired by the book, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Materials
Long piece of purple construction paper (approximately 6×15)
Pipe cleaner or ribbon to make the handle
Stickers, pictures cut out of a magazine, or clip art
Markers
Glue
Tape
Small piece of velcro (optional)
Directions
Fold the bottom of the construction paper so it reaches about 3 inches from the top. Fold the top down to look like a purse. Use a pipe cleaner or ribbon and attach each end underneath the fold to make a handle for the purse. Secure with tape. (Optional) Stick a small piece of velcro underneath the flap and on the purse to act like a latch for holding the purse closed. Open and unfold the purse and invite your child to glue various pictures and stickers inside. Ask your child to tell you what he has in his purse.
Preschool age children may want to draw their own pictures or label the pictures in the purse.
Materials
Purple construction paper (light and dark colors)
Scissors
2-3 size circular objects to trace around
Directions
On purple paper, trace around 2-3 different circle shapes. Cut out circles.
Invite your child to sort the circles into two groups: big and little
Sort using a different criteria: light purple circles and dark purple circles
For an added challenge, encourage your child to copy your pattern. Then she can try extending the pattern that you have started with the circles. Once your child understands that a pattern repeats, invite your child to create their own pattern.
Materials
Strips of purple construction paper approximately an inch wide and 5-6 inches in length
Hole puncher
Directions
Place strips of purple paper in a basket or on a small tray with a hole puncher. Encourage your child to punch holes along a strip of paper, starting from the left side and moving across the paper towards the right end of the strip.
This simple fine motor activity is excellent for developing eye and hand coordination and strengthening the child’s fingers and hands. It also supports learning to manipulate scissors and will aid in naturally guiding your child to move from left to right across the paper, an important skill needed for reading.