Punching Patterns

Fiskars Butterfly Paper Puncher

I like to be resourceful and reuse materials materials if I can.  For this activity I used the paint chips that N previously cut and used my kid-friendly Fiskars butterfly paper puncher (that I found on clearance at Wal-Mart) and punched out some butterflies.  I say "kid-friendly" because all N has to do is push down on the white knob with her hand.  Most paper punchers this small require using mostly the thumb- which can be quite a task.  I also like using the paint chips because they are sturdy and easier for little hands to pick up.

Gluing Patterns in N's Notebook

I decided to use an easy ABAB pattern with N.  I placed the glue dot and N placed the butterfly in place.  We had to say the pattern over and over, but she eventually understood. 

Other Creative Ideas:

~ use more colors
~ ABCABC patterns, ABBAABBA patterns, AABBAABB patterns
~ find a variety of paper punchers (Micheals usually has a dollar section somewhere with small paper punchers)
~ create patterns with different shapes (not the colors of the paper)
OR
...when they are ready...
~ create patterns using alternating colors and shapes