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Do your kids love to bang things, make noise and pretend to do grown up things? Most do! Therefore, the activity that I am sharing today will most
likely be a hit with your little ones!
likely be a hit with your little ones!
Homemade Hammering Fun Materials:
-
Piece of Styrofoam (as large or small as you want it)
-
Piece of fabric big enough to cover the Styrofoam
-
Straight pins (with no head) or glue gun
-
Golf tees
-
Child sized hammer
Start by covering the Styrofoam with the fabric. I wrapped mine like a
present, to make it neat and easy to handle. I used straight pins to adhere the
fabric to the Styrofoam block. I did not use the pins with the large balls on
top, but rather the flat headed pins that I could wedge deep into the Styrofoam
to prevent little ones from getting them out. But, if you would feel more
comfortable, glue the fabric to the block using a glue gun (note that the fabric
will not be reusable after gluing). Covering the Styrofoam helps keep it from
breaking apart into little pieces all over your carpet
present, to make it neat and easy to handle. I used straight pins to adhere the
fabric to the Styrofoam block. I did not use the pins with the large balls on
top, but rather the flat headed pins that I could wedge deep into the Styrofoam
to prevent little ones from getting them out. But, if you would feel more
comfortable, glue the fabric to the block using a glue gun (note that the fabric
will not be reusable after gluing). Covering the Styrofoam helps keep it from
breaking apart into little pieces all over your carpet
Using golf tees and a child sized hammer, model how to hammer in the ‘nails’. This activity is a great way to practice hand/eye coordination. You may need to start some of the ‘nails’ into the Styrofoam for beginners. Once one side of the block is well used, turn it over to start playing all over again!
My son (2 years old) and I had lots of fun hammering together. We had different colored golf tees, so we also practiced color recognition too! It is a simple and easy to piece together activity. Give it a try!
Ashley is the owner of Lovely Commotion, a blog all about early learning. She has taken some time off teaching in a traditional setting to be at home with her young children. Ashley is now an in-home childcare provider, teaching her own and other children in her preschool room. Ashley has a degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education with a Master’s Degree in Reading and Literacy. You can find her here: Facebook
What a great idea to cover the styrofoam with fabric! At first I wasn't sure why you did that but after reading your post it makes complete sense! My little one loves to pick styrofoam apart and it becomes a HUGE mess!
Last time I did this, I covered the foam with paper which did not last! Thank you for this suggestion, will try again 🙂