Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Mitten: Activities for the book



The Mitten by Jan Brett is an absolute favorite book of mine.  I remember it from my elementary school days, and I've always used it in my classrooms and with my own children.  Today we got snow for the first time, and so it was the perfect day to pull out this book.  I'm going to share a couple activities with you that go great with this book.


1.  Hunting for the White Objects (Sensory)


In the book, Nicki's grandmother does not initially want to make him white mittens because it could so easily get lost in the snow.  Find a handful of white (or mostly white) object from around your house, a gallon sized ziploc baggie, tape, and white flour.  


Fill the bag with a couple cups of flour and all your white objects.  Then, tape it shut so curious hands don't leave flour all over your house.  Children can use this as a sensory activity and feel around to find the hidden objects.  Finding something white in a white bag is hard, just like loosing a white glove in snow!  The consistency of the flour really does make it a difficult task!  For younger children, you may want to use larger white objects to avoid frustration.


2. Mitten Match & Sort (Math)


Gather up all those little mittens for matching and sorting.  You can have your children match each glove to its pair, or sort them into piles of like colors or styles.  You can also create patterns!

3. Mitten Lacing (Fine Motor)



Use your own hand as a template for a mitten.  Cut two out, and punch holes around it.  Tie string or yarn to one of the bottom holes and let your child practice lacing in and out of the holes.  Younger children may need the end of the yarn taped to effectively move the string through the holes.

Bonus: Print out pictures of animals from the book and have your child put them inside their mitten as you tell the story!


Do you have any other fun activities to go with Jan Brett's The Mitten?

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