MY LITTLE HANDS KEEP MOVING!

How can you tell if children are engaged? All you have to do is watch them as they cut and glue and string beads. Their little tongue will be moving and they will be totally engrossed in the activity. Look around your house today and grab some of these materials to recycle in your classroom this week. You'll be developing small motor skills, and you'll also keep those little hands busy!

Wrapping Paper Tear - Take in scraps of wrapping paper and put them in a tub. Invite children to tear them and then glue them to a paper plate to make a collage.
                                      
Cardboard Tubes - Cut cardboard tubes from wrapping paper into 6" sections. Children can decorate them and then use them to hum along to favorite holiday tunes.

Greeting Cards - Cut the front off cards and give children a hole punch. After punching holes they can sew yarn or ribbon through the holes.

Catalogs - YIKES! It breaks my heart to think of all those beautiful trees that went into making those catalogs. Recycle them by integrating a cut and paste activity with skills you want to reinforce.
Letters - Find things with a particular sound.
Shapes - Cut out geometric shapes they find.
Words - Cut out words that they can read.
*Can they find words and make a sentence?
                                      
Mystery Jar - Fill a jar with all that little holiday "junk."
*Children can draw what they see.
*Children can make a list of the items.
*Children can write stories using the items as prompts.

Stringing - Put out beads and pipe cleaners and let children design "jewelry."

Scrap Box - Want to keep children focused in a positive direction. Put out a scrap box with construction paper and other art media and challenge them to create gifts for family members.