bribed convinced my kids to eat their dinner with the promise of making cookies afterward. When I got the eggs out I realized I had used them all. I don’t know about you but I have a weird affinity for empty egg cartons…they just seem like a waste to throw away, there are so many things you can do with them, especially with preschoolers!
While the cookies were baking and cooling I put together this activity which my boys always love, I simply used the empty egg carton, some little pompoms I had laying around in my craft basket, and some old tweezers.
I took the bottom off the carton and had my sons practice putting the pompoms into the individual egg spaces with the tweezers. When they were younger I had them do it with “their pinchers” (thumb and index finger.) This activity helps build the muscles in their pincher grasp and the fine motor skills which are important for big-kid activities like cutting with scissors.
To add complexity for older kids you can ask them to use certain colors or create a pattern with their pompoms. Or you can incorporate math and have them count the spaces, introduce the concept of “a dozen,” etc. Its a really great activity that take practically no preparation and very little cost. I hope you like it!