Leafy Lion Mane
What you need
- a circle of card cut from a cereal box
- a felt tip
- a handful of fallen leaves with stalks
- a pencil
How to do it
- Draw a big lion face in the middle of the card circle.
- Poke a ring of holes all the way round the edge with the pencil.
- Go outside together and collect leaves that still have their stalks.
- Show them how to push a stalk into a hole so the leaf sticks out like hair.
- Let them fill every hole to finish the mane, then give it a big roar.
Why it matters
Each hole is a small job they can finish, and the lion gets wilder with every leaf.
What they're learning
- Finger and thumb grip
- Holding a thin stalk and lining it up with a hole is careful pincer work.
- Sticking with it
- There are lots of holes to fill, and the mane shows them how far they've got.
- Pretend play
- A finished lion is ready for roaring, prowling and pretend.
What to look for
Watch how they line the stalk up with the hole. Twisting it in is a clever trick they often find on their own.
A tip
Make the holes for them before they start. Leaves with firm stalks push in much more easily than soft ones.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: make the holes bigger and give them leaves with long stalks
Harder: ask for a red leaf, then a yellow one, all the way round
More like this
Browse
Fine motor activities · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a cardboard box