5 Festive Invitations to Create, Learn and Play with Grapat Loose Parts
Oskar's Wooden Ark | November 20, 2021
Grapat loose parts offer endless opportunities for open-ended play and learning activities for kids. We've teamed up with our wonderful content creators to bring you 5 fun festive ways to use Grapat loose parts this festive season to promote creativity and learning! The wonderful thing about Grapat loose parts, is that there is no right or wrong way to play with them.
If you try any of these loose parts play activities at home with your little ones, please take a photo and share it with us on Facebook and Instagram, tagging @oskarswoodenark and using the hashtag #OWACHRISTMAS.
1. Let's Decorate Christmas Stockings (Colour Matching and Pre-Writing Practice Activity)
Teach your children the process of colour-matching and help develop their pre-writing skills with this fun Christmas stocking activity.
Ruth and her children have used:
🔵 Grapat Mandala Pink Flowers
🔵 Grapat Mandala Orange Cones
🔵 Grapat Mandala Green Cones
🔵 Grapat Mandala Blue Coins
🔵 Grapat Mandala Red Fire
🔵 Grapat Mandala Honeycomb
🔵 Kitpas Art Crayons
🔵 Paper
Photo Credit: @pagesofchildhood
Photo Credit: @pagesofchildhood
What to do:
1. Cut out stocking shapes from the paper.
2. With a different coloured crayon each time, draw a variety of patterned lines (straight, squiggly or zig-zag) along the stocking. Older children might like to have a go at drawing these themselves.
3. Invite your child to place the Grapat loose parts along the lines - matching the colours and tracing the pattern of each line.
2. Create a Christmas Woodland Scene
Take decorating the Christmas tree to another level with this invitation to create a beautiful and whimsical woodland scene - ideal for story-telling and creative play.
Ruth and her children have used:
🟣 Grapat Coloured Coins
🟣 Grapat Coloured Rings
🟣 Grapat Mandala Honeycomb
🟣 Grapat Mandala Green Trees
🟣 Grapat Nins
🟣 Kapla Octocolour Case
🟣 Ostheimer Animal Figures
🟣 Tree Branches
Photo Credit: @pagesofchildhood
Photo Credit: @pagesofchildhood
What to do:
1. Pick a space with plenty of room to set-up. Ruth has rolled out a canvas (a roll of left-over curtain lining fabric) on her floor to contain the scene within.
2. Place the branches on the area you wish to decorate.
3. Decorate your branches and the surrounding area with loose parts. You may choose to loop rings through the branches, or create some butterflies or birds to fly around your scene.
4. Have fun with your creation by using your play figures to engage in some festive story-telling!
3. Do you want to build a snowman?
Venture "Into the Unknown" and tell your worries to "Let It Go" as you build yourself a new frosty friend! Just because it's summer in Australia, doesn't mean you can't partake in this activity!
Ruth and her children have used:
🔴 Grapat Mandala Blue Raindrops
🔴 Grapat Mandala Red Fire
🔴 Grapat Mandala Pink Flowers
🔴 Grapat Coloured Rings
🔴 Grapat Mandala Blue Coins
🔴 Kapla Octocolour Case
🔴 Paper
Photo Credit: @pagesofchilhood
Photo Credit: @pagesofchildhood
What to do:
1. Cut out a variety of different sized circles from the paper.
2. Pick a space and lay them out on the floor, stacking the circles on top of each other, making them however big or small you please.
3. Invite your child to decorate the snowmen with the loose parts. Make sure to give them a hat, scarf and a smile!
4. Decorate Christmas Baubles
Who said baubles only belong on the Christmas tree? For this activity, we invite you to create a flatlay collection of unique and colourful baubles!
Photo Credit: @learnandbloom
Photo Credit: @learnandbloom
What to do:
1. Place your bauble bases randomly in the space your are playing in. Jess and her boys have use the Grimm's Semi Circles.
2. Decorate your baubles however you wish to. Use as many colours as you want, or even find some other materials around home to use!
5. Sticky Grapat Christmas Tree
We've saved the best activity for last! How many times have your told your little one not to touch the wall when playing? Well, for this activity, you'll be encouraging them to stick whatever they want on it! But don't worry, your walls will still be pristine at the end of playtime.
Kate and her boys have used:
🟢 Grapat Coloured Coins
🟢 Grapat Coloured Rings
🟢 Recycled Cardboard
🟢 Contact
Photo Credit: @exploringlifetogether_
Photo Credit: @exploringlifetogether_