Wait! Don't recycle that egg carton just yet! That cardboard container has endless possibilities to challenge your child's developmental skills and creativity, no matter how old they are. And participating in any of these activities gets the mind and body moving without using TV, video games, or the computer. Read on for activity suggestions and a summary of the developmental skills they work on.
Painting - Use the egg carton as a palette to separate paint colors. Or paint the whole carton itself. Painting it turns it from an old egg carton into a treasure box or a jewelry box. Painting works on fine motor skills, coordination, motor planning, creativity, and it is a great sensory experience. And a toddler up to an adolescent could enjoy this activity based on their own skill level; obviously the younger the child, the more supervision and assistance they need.
Sorting box - Turn the egg carton into a place to sort objects (like buttons, or small toys by size, color, texture, or any other characteristic. This is a great activity for toddlers and preschoolers to work on fine motor skills, cognitive skills, and academic concepts. Older kids can sort coins to work on money and math concepts. Note: Do not give babies choking hazards and supervise toddlers with small objects!
Goggles - Add some "super goggles" to the dress up wardrobe! Cut out two of the egg "cups" so you have two individual ones. Poke a hole in the bottom of each cup, use pipe cleaners or other objects to connect the two cups and make a band to go around the head or behind the ears to hold the goggles up. Voila - fun goggles to add to dress up costumes! The work that goes into making these goggles works on fine motor skills, sequencing, motor planning, and creativity, especially if your child paints or decorates the goggles before wearing.
Math games - Use a 12 or 18 count container to work on basic math concepts. 1. One example is labeling each egg "cup" with a number. Give your preschool or early elementary age child a pile of small objects (beans, dried pasta, buttons...) and have your child count out the correct number of objects for the corresponding number in each cup. To increase the challenge to work on number recognition and reading, cut up small pieces of paper that are labeled with numbers or number words. Have your child choose pieces of paper, count out the correct number of objects, and place them in the corresponding "cup" of the carton. There are many variations of this game based on a child's skill level.
2. Another example for working on basic addition and subtraction, is to place a cotton ball or small pom pom in each cup of the carton and add or subtract based on simple math equations on a card, using the "math carton" to solve the problem. For example: 4 + 2 = Place 4 cotton balls, 1 in each of 4 cups of the carton, then add 2 more and count the total. Reverse the process for subtraction problems.
This obviously works on academic concepts and cognitive skills. Adding in tongs, chopsticks, or spoons to move the objects increases the challenge for improving fine motor skills.
Musical instruments - Cut out egg cups in sets of two (keeping them attached). Fill them with rice, beans, dried pasta, coins, etc., fold and tape around the edges to keep the contents inside. Decorate with paint, markers, stickers, or glitter to make them fancy. Turn on some music and incorporate your new shakers into a dance!
Separate the top of the container from the bottom, wrap a bunch of elastic bands around the top and you have yourself a little guitar. Now get the shakers and guitar and you've got the makings of a cardboard band! This works on fine motor skills, motor planning (especially if you get your kids trying to make up or copy dance moves), coordination, movement, and creativity.
Planting - Use an egg carton to start a mini planting experiment. Fill the cups with potting soil, plant a see in each, and water. Keep the carton outside so that the water can drain and get some sun. When the seeds start to germinate and require more growing space, transfer the seedlings to larger pots or your garden. This activity is a great sensory experience, good for working on motor skills, coordination, sequencing, and cognitive skills. For older kids, academic concepts can be added in like, keeping an observation journal, writing and/or drawing pictures to describe the process of planting and plant growth, measuring the plant growth with a ruler and graphing it, etc.
Make some Easter eggs - If your egg carton is still full of eggs and you want to make a few easter decorations, use the eggs and carton to make easter eggs. Fill the cups with glue, glitter, dye, and other materials to dip the eggs into to decorate them. Cut out empty cups to display individual eggs as decorations.
These are just some examples of activities to do with an empty egg carton. If given the opportunity and support, I'm sure your kids can come up with even more creative things to turn the egg cartons into. And just think of all the fun things other unused items in your house are waiting to turn in to! If you have a baby (about 9 months and up), just give him or her the empty carton and let the exploration begin. Add in some pots and pans, measuring cups and spoons, and spatulas for a little more fun!
If you have a suggestion for another fun activity, post it below in the comments to share with other parents!
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