Design a Town and More Cheap and Easy Christmas Tray Activities

 Design a Town

We bought all of this activities at the Dollar Tree (not the wooden car). 

This is how I set it up. I let Umi play on his own as much as he wants to.  You could make maps that your child can use to design a town. Add cars, people, animals..etc.

Also, you and your child can make up a name for it! You could also make a book about it. Take some pictures and write a story about your town. The picture can go on one page and the child's drawing on the other. If your child is old enough to write he can make the whole book by himself. If not, ask your child to tell you about the picture and you can write it for him.

Umi started making his own thing and having fun.

Matching Activity

I set this up for Little Princess. She is 1 and 1/2 now (Dec. 2012)

The tray and the little erasers came from the Dollar Tree. 

She stills put things in her mouth but not so often like before so she chewed some up...Not good....But if your child doesn't do that you can set this easy tray (Made in USA). 

Overhead Projector Ideas

Would you like me to tell you a secret? Would you believe me that this cost only 5 bucks and better you could even get it free?? Yes, that's right. I got it for five dollars at the local school warehouse. I got a magnetic white board for 5 bucks too! I even got the unifix cubes of 1000 for 4 dollars!!! The retail price for those are 100 or more. They have computers, tables, chairs, etc. I said you might get some free stuff because sometimes the do get rid of things and they'll give it to you for no cost, or in my case a very low cost. So here is a secret that many people may not know. Call your school and ask the number of the warehouse.

There are many uses for this projector:

1- Light table

2- Tracing table

3- Draw a picture then you can make a mural on the wall

4- Shadow tracing on the wall or a paper on the wall

5- Use it like a chalk board to write on a clear plastic sheet things to be read by the student

6- Add your own ideas...I ran out of mine! 

Cheap Christmas Tray Activities and Games

This games and trays I got it from the Dollar Tree store. 

The left one set all the pegs in the tree (good for hand eye coordination and fine motor skills ) then hop over a peg and take it with you and put it on your plate (peanut butter jar lid). Only one peg has to be left in the Christmas tree.

The right game is a tic tac toe. Choose the pegs you want to use and take them with you. The younger player goes first. You all take turns putting the pegs in the game. The goal is putting 3 pegs in a row to win. You are supposed to stop the other player from wining by putting a peg in the way all the time.

This third tray also came from the Dollar Tree. The child can do patterns, make a bracelet, count, etc.

Little Princes is 1 and 1/2 now. She like playing with the pegs, and put them in the holes

and take them out.

Little Princes loves the beads!

So does Umi!

Other ideas for Christmas trays:

- Wrapping paper left over from wrapping presents for cutting for scissor practice

- Wrapping paper collage

- Draw a Christmas tree and trace cotton balls then let the child decorate the

tree by gluing the cotton balls to the tree.

- Same than above but make it an ornament.

- Draw a candy cane and let the child decorate by gluing cotton balls. Then you can count them see how many it fitted in there.

I hope you all are enjoying this holiday seasons!!!

PS: I apologize for the pictures not being so clear..I took them with my phone since I cannot find my camera....I am hoping Santa will help me with that!! ;-)

Easy Christmas Craft Ideas

Paper Plate Ornaments

Materials:

- Paper Plates

- Glue

-Glitter

- Hole Punch

- Fishing Line

- Pin

Give the glue to the child to make his own design. Then he can spread the glitter around.

Tip: Have an extra clean paper plate so when he is done adding the glitter he can shake the excess 

on that plate. Then if you have an extra jar you can put it there so you don't waste any. I don't care if the colors get mixed, neither the children.

After they dry you flip it over and repeat this activity so

both sides are decorated. Then make a hole with the hole punch and tight the fish line to the pin and pin it on the ceiling. You can use yarn if you like instead of fishing line too. 

Umi liked doing this so we made a bunch of them. Little Princess liked it too. She loved shaking the glitter on the paper plates.