Egg Carton Activities
quality time
moments that matter
One of the many things I love about children is their ability to discover the hidden potential in things. A stick is not merely a stick but also a wand, a sword, and a valiant steed. Kids also tend to be less judgmental than we are as adults. They don’t see trash, they see possibilities.
In this vein, I’ve been collecting egg cartons over the past month or two, trying to decide what to do with them. Below are some of the ideas I found, some of which we’ve already tried (pictured below).
Numbers, Letters, and Colors
We used an egg carton to work on a counting activity with my son, who is learning numbers and counting skills. I wrote the numbers one through twelve in each of the egg cups and then we used buttons to practice counting the right number of buttons. You could use this same principle with letters, writing a letter in each cup and asking the child to place pictures of things, small objects, or printed words that begin with the appropriate letter. The same principle can be used for color sorting. Simply paint or label each cup with a color and then ask the child to sort objects. I’ve seen this done with puff balls and tongs, which also gives the child an opportunity to practice fine motor skills as they use the tongs to move the puff balls from one place to another.
Gardening and Painting
The individual egg cups make an ideal palette for a budding artist, without allowing paints to mix or run into one another unintentionally. The higher walls of the cups also help prevent spills. These can be handy tools for painting in the classroom or at home.
Likewise, children learning about plants and gardening can use the egg cups as tiny planters for seeds and starts. Simply poke a hole in the bottom of the cup and fill with potting soil. You may want to place a tray underneath the egg carton, to catch any drainage. This is also helpful if your egg cartons are made of recycled paper. Recycled paper egg cartons will gradually break down with watering, and a tray will help keep them in one piece until they are ready to be transplanted into the ground. The good news is that recycled egg carton starts can be planted directly into the ground, egg cups and all.
Crafts and Creation
Egg cartons can be used as raw material for creating fun crafts and creatures too. Check out the links following for instructions on making wreaths and flowers or mobiles, spy glasses, or creatures or trucks, trains, and treasure chests…all from egg cartons. Most important of all, have fun and be amazed at the potential in a little bit of “trash.”
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