Yarn Monster: Discovery at Home

Blog, Discovery at Home

Yarn monsters on the loose!

Creating art with limited materials is a great was to encourage creativity and get kids working with constraints, a critical skill in engineering! This activity is powered by our friends at Evergy.

What you need:

  • Cardboard piece of paper plate
  • Yarn
  • Glue
  • Scissors

Directions:

  1. Place glue on the paper plate where you would like to add yarn.
  2. Cut down smaller pieces of colored yarn to add to the plate.
  3. Design the monster or character you want to see come to life.

Ways to Expand the Activity:

  • Create a story with your characters. Make multiple characters and put on a show for your family.
  • Add a moving part. Is there a way you can create the yarn monster so that mouth can move? Experiment to discover different ways you can add movement.

What Kids Learn:

  • Children gain social and emotional skills through dramatic play. When they pretend, they are experimenting in social roles, practicing language, and solving problems.
  • Basic engineering skills. Engineers solve problems with constraints. They learn to solve problems by using the engineering design process: asking questions, coming up with solutions, building, testing and improving.
  • Fine motor skills. Kids practice using the small muscles in their hands later used for writing.