A while ago, I was observing a group of preschoolers, and I was amazed at how long they stayed at a task. What was so engaging? They were making something rather ordinary and kind of “old-fashioned” -- paper chains.
As they worked on this project, I could see why they were so involved. They wanted to make a chain that would go all the way across the floor. Anything so big has real power to it…and real fascination for young children. There’s even more power to it when you think about how much the children might be learning -- about math, language arts, motor skills, and social-emotional skills.
Fred knew the power of everyday crafts. All through the Neighborhood series he used simple materials like construction paper, scissors and tape to encourage children to create things that were fun and meaningful.
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