The Imagination Tree

Creative play and learning for kids

Decorating Foam Eggs on the Window

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Create some beautiful patterned Easter eggs using craft foam on the window or in the bath! This activity is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, combines creativity and maths and is completely mess free! Plus it can be reused over and over again with limitless possibilities for the outcome, making it a truly open-ended activity.
We love to use craft foam shapes on the window as it opens up a whole new way of playing and creating, as well as being a fantastic way to encourage kids to work on a vertical plane, thus increasing strength in their shoulders and control in their arms while working. In the same way that working at an easel is great for posture and early gross motor control and co-ordination, standing to play at a window is equally beneficial, and thankfully plenty of fun too!
I cut out three large white egg shapes from A4 sized pieces of craft foam, and stuck them to the window using water. Then I cut lots of matching shapes using scraps of coloured craft foam, and arranged them along with a pot of water and some brushes as a little Invitation to Play and create! The girls have played with our Spring pictures and lots of other pieces on the window before, so knew exactly how the foam would stick and got busy straight away.
Cakie immediately wanted to make some patterns and chose shapes that she could use to make repeated patterns and also arranged them into pictures. I played alongside them and we talked a lot about the shapes we were using, their names and properties and how to match them up or make them repeat in a pattern.
Pop matched a lot of shapes together and made a partially symmetrical picture on her egg, talking about the colours and naming some shapes correctly, and others she guessed.
Baby Bean wanted to get in on the action too, and this proved to be a perfect activity for her. She had been watching the big girls dipping their foam pieces in water and she tried doing the same, then stuck them to either the window itself or onto the eggs.

It was great for her fine motor development too as she had to work really hard to pick off and place back each little piece, and she concentrated really hard to achieve it each time! It’s so sweet to watch them all playing together, with the little one not quite so little any more, sob!

What they are learning while they play:
creativity: combining materials, exploring shapes, colours and patterns, working on a large scale
maths: copying and inventing their own patterns, recognising and naming shapes, matching shapes
physical: working on a vertical plane, strengthening shoulder and arm muscles and control, using small tools and materials, pincer grasp for fine motor development

Cakie: 4.6
Pop: 2.11
Bean: 12 mos

 
See also:
Making Matisse masterpieces in the bath!

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Comments

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  3. Serendipitychild says

    This is agreat fun idea, I love it. I think I recall you did a similar thing inspired by mattisse?
    I am looking forward to doing this sort of activity with my little one who is a similar age to your but at the moment he loves the texture of the foam too much and it ends up being chewed and broken into bits!

  4. Emma says

    I’m disappointed in myself, because I want to ask if they came off the window ok? 😉

    I love the window idea, I want to try with some contact paper soon.