Yarn Shape Match File Folder Game

Today's file folder game is a Yarn Shape Match.  It's a super simple activity to put together, requiring almost no materials (i.e. it's also frugal).  It is great for preschool and kindergarten aged children to practice their fine motor skill development.

To Make It:

1. On the inside of your file folder, use markers to draw various shapes.  Depending on the age of your child, you will want to keep shape size and detail in mind as you draw these (younger kids=bigger, simpler shapes).

2.  Cut various sized pieces of yarn.  You will want various sizes so that it is easier to both make sharp turns on shapes (like the "cross" on letter A or when making the three sides of a triangle) and to make long, continuous shapes (like circle or squiggle marks).

Be sure to add a pocket to the front of your file folder to store your yarn pieces!

Encourage your child to line various pieces of yarn up with the shapes he sees on the file folder.  Also, as you can see in the photo above, yarn does not really like to stay where you put it (shape wise), which is another reason you may want to cut your string pieces small and have them connect strings together instead.

Don't forget to store your file folder games in a super cute up-cycled box!

DIY File Folder Box (Using Fabric & an Old Box)

I kept telling my husband that I needed a box for all my file folders.  Nothing fancy, but definitely something to control my growing chaos and love for all things file folders.  But, as usual, I didn't have any money to spend on a silly box.  And so.  I got creative.  

I found a box that was the perfect length for file folders and I cut off the top box tabs.  I dug through my fabric stash and found a single piece of fabric that was just big enough to cover the box properly. 

Using hot glue, I began to tightly pull the fabric around the box and secure it.  I placed the box in the middle of the fabric and pulled the fabric around the outside and into the middle of the box.

Notice how my fabric just covers a few of the top inside inches of the box, not the whole inside.  You could cover the whole thing if you really wanted to, but since it does not really get seen, I did not find it necessary or worth the use of my fabric :)

This file folder box is WAY cuter than any I would have found at the store, and it was a total frugal option with a $0 purchase price!  Now my file folders have this really great and cute home in which to be stored.