PLAY BESIDE ME

Challenge 1

PASTA & PLAY DOUGH

SUPPLIES: 1 Lay out play dough and dry pasta.
• dry pasta
• play dough Use the pasta to make sculptures, prints and textured
2 patterns in the play dough.

3 Build towers, make letters, and just have fun!

TIPS:
Experiment with different
shapes of pasta and how
the prints and textures can
be different.
Penne pasta is a great Leave this activity
“rolling pin” whereas El- open-ended and see
bow noodles can make what happens!
curves for letters.

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Challenge 2

BLOWING WADDED PAPER

SUPPLIES: 1 Wad up some small pieces of paper.
• paper
• straws
Using a straw, blow the paper to the other side of the
(plastic or paper) 2 table.

See who can get all of their paper to the other side of
3 the table first.

TIPS:
See what’s the furthest If it is too hard with to Set up “goals” to try
they can blow in one puff. blow the paper with the and blow the paper
straw, blow it without! into.

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Challenge 3

NATURE SENSORY SOUP

Collect items from nature to make a sensory tub of
SUPPLIES: 1 nature soup!
• kitchen utensils
• nature
• small dishes/bowls 2 Fill a tub with water.
• tub
• water
Add in nature “ingredients” to the tub of water with
3 kitchen utensils, cups, and bowls to make their favorite
soup recipe.

TIPS:
Older kids can write
down a recipe (3
dandelions, 4 leaves,
a handful of grass,
etc) to follow once
they’ve collected their
nature items. Then
add according to their
recipe.
For little ones or kids Add in nature
who don’t like getting “ingredients” to the tub
wet, you can use a of water with kitchen
shallow pie pan or just utensils, cups, and
give them less water. bowls to make their
favorite soup recipe.
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Challenge 4

DOT STICKER DESIGNS

SUPPLIES: 1 Tape down a large piece of paper.
• butcher paper
• markers
• stickers 2 Draw a wacky design with a marker.
• painter’s tape

3 Provide stickers to trace the design.

TIPS:
Older kids can draw their
own design to trace.
Younger kids may need For younger kids, start
help removing stickers, with a small, simple
it sometimes help to re- design so they can
move the outer section accomplish it in a short
that’s not the stickers period of time.
from the page.

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Challenge 5

BLOCK FLOOR PUZZLE

SUPPLIES: 1 Tape a simple square, rectangle, or triangle on the floor.
• blocks
• painter’s tape
2 Collect blocks and lay out to use.

3 Fill in the shape completely solid with the blocks.

TIPS:
Start simple with a square,
about a foot wide. Don’t
make it too big or it’ll be
daunting to fill and too
small can be hard to fit the
pieces.
Sit alongside your child
and help put the blocks
in a spot. Push them
up against each other
so you don’t leave any
blank spots.
There is no right or
wrong way to do it. Just
fill up the square with
no open holes.

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Challenge BO
NU
S

PLAYING WITH CARDS

Give your child a deck of cards and empty wipes
SUPPLIES: 1 container.
• deck of cards
• empty wipes container
Practice taking cards in and out of the container or card
2 box.

3 Sort the cards by color or number.

TIPS:
Don’t be afraid to follow Older kids can sort A deck of cards is great
your child’s lead and see by suit or put them in to throw in your bag for
what they come up with! numerical order. on the go activities.

Instead of a wipes
container, you can cut a
slot on the end of a cereal
box to put the cards into.

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