Paper Chain Countdown
What you need
- long strips of paper in two colours
- child scissors
- tape
How to do it
- Choose something coming up, like a birthday or a trip, and count together how many sleeps there are until then.
- Let your child snip the long strips into shorter pieces, one piece for each sleep.
- Make a loop with the first piece and a bit of tape, then thread the next one through it and tape that closed, swapping colours each time.
- Hang the chain up and count the links together. Each day, take one off and count again: how many left?
Why it matters
Waiting is hard to picture, and a chain they can count, and watch get shorter, gives the wait a shape they can hold.
What they're learning
- Cutting strips
- Snipping long paper into short pieces.
- Counting down
- One link fewer each day.
- A colour pattern
- Red, blue, red, blue.
What to look for
Notice them counting the links that are left without being asked.
A tip
Tape is quicker than glue for little hands. Tear a few short pieces and stick them along the edge of the table, ready to grab. Sit beside them while the scissors are out and put them away when you finish. Children's safety scissors only.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: make a short chain of three or four links for something soon
Harder: make a pattern of two links of one colour, then one of the other, and keep it going all the way
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Fine motor activities · Toddler activities with paper · Toddler activities with masking tape