Lacing Mittens

Many thanks for Frugal Fun 4 Boys for the activity we enjoyed this week at play group. This is a low cost activity that helps with fine motor and visual spatial skills.

All you will need: cardboard or paperboard, hand hole punch, yarn, tape, (marker, colored pencils or crayons- optional)

We printed a mitten template from the internet and traced and cut several mittens out cardboard.
The template we used was 4 1/2" at it's widest point. You could also use a thick piece of paperboard as it will be easier to cut as well as punch.
We read: Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone and The Mitten by Jan Brett

The children chose the color of their yarn. We cut the yarn about 24" long. An adult punched random holes on the mitten, tied the yarn on a hole near the mitten cuff and rolled a piece of tape to create a safe "needle" for sewing.

The children ages 2-4 colored their mittens using markers. Some of the markers were scented leaving a fragrant mitten, just like the mittens in the "Three Little Kittens" might have smelled after eating their pie with their mittens on.

When reading "The Mitten" the children noticed their mitten matched the one on the right side of the right hand pages (or Recto pages)....

We also made a mitten with a symmetrical pattern that would work well for older children...or for talking about the symmetry of a snowflake.

And the mittens can be used for practice sewing, using them over and over again!