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Let’s face it! Who has several Amazon boxes delivered weekly? Maybe some of you even daily! It’s so easy nowadays to purchase online goods; just one click and it’s here next day! Next time you have a delivery, start saving all those boxes and do some giant building with your children, they’ll love it! You can make the most giant towers and when they all come crashing down, you don’t even need to worry about the injuries!
It’s great to provide our children with lots of fun activities to keep them entertained but so much learning can be involved too without you even realising it! Lots of activities can be extended to support their learning and development and you as their parent or carer are the key element!
Here’s how this activity could link into the Early Years Foundation Stage…
Communication and Language – Talk about building the tower, how high, how wide. Extend it by making a castle or a den, talking about people who may live in different houses or cities. Use descriptive language such as taller, shorter, open, closed; or if your child is a young toddler, use repetitive language such as ‘big, big, big tower!’
Physical Development – Allow your child to build the tower as tall as they can. Use a crate to stand on to reach higher. It’s good to encourage your child to climb and balance, building those core muscles which in turn supports and links into fine motor skills such as writing and even the ability to pay attention!
Personal, Social and Emotional Development – Develop cooperative play by taking turns and discussing good ways to build the tower, working together.
Literacy – Link your building to books looking at different structures or buildings of the world.
Mathematics – Use language such as tall, short, high, long, small, big. Count your boxes as you build.
Understanding the World – Look at books to see structures from around the world or explore animal dens.
Expressive Arts and Design – Get creative and paint or decorate the boxes with collage materials. Make a den with sheets and pegs and encourage imaginative play.
Forest Friends is based at Squirrel Wood, Doncaster, DN6 9FE and offers a completely outdoor playgroup, weekly classes and story trails with a variety of activities including mud kitchen, bug hunting, rope swings, den building, hammock, crafts and much more! Click below to view what’s coming up…
What’s coming up at Forest Friends…
