Meat Tray Puzzles

[20 Minutes]

Your child will have fun learning about shapes and develop important eye-hand coordination with these easy-to-make puzzles.

You'll need:

• foam trays (Ask the meat department in your supermarket for new, clean ones.) • cookie cutters • sharp knife (ADULT USE ONLY) • cutting board

What to do:

1. Put one of the small meat trays on a cutting board and invite your child to press a cookie cutter into its center.
2. Use the knife to cut around the outline made by the cookie cutter. Scrape away any pieces of foam. Repeat these two steps, making 4 to 6 puzzles, each with a different shape.
3. Encourage your child to take 1 large meat tray and press several shapes into it so that she has a multi-piece puzzle.
4. Let your child first complete a single one-piece puzzle several times. Then challenge her with a more than one puzzle at the same time. Finally, give her a multi-piece puzzle to try.

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• Can you name the shape(s) in each puzzle?
• Do you like to do puzzles? Which one would you like to do next?

Useful information:

While you and your child are playing together, this activity helps develop eye/hand coordination, matching and small muscle skills.