Make a Pat Mat!

How much money do you spend on toys for your child?  Lots I bet!  Do you find that your child is often more intrigued by boxes or household objects?   There's nothing better than being two and finding a big box!

When working with parents, I often use homemade toys and the kids love them.  One of my favorites is the pat mat and it is so easy to make.  A pat mat is another great sensory toy giving them something to explore with those little hands.  I often use pat mats with little ones who are starting to stand, but it can be used during tummy time with little ones as well.  I will also share a variation on the pat mat that can be used for preschool aged kids.

Here's what you'll need: 

• Large, heavy duty ziplock baggie (try to find one without writing or designs on them)
• water or clear hair gel
• different colored confetti (found at most card/party supply stores)
• Heavy duty tape

Put some water or hair gel (my personal preference) into the ziplock.  You'll want enough so that when you lay it flat it can be squished around (anywhere from 3 to 5 tablespoons.  Put in the confetti. 

I like to use the shaped confetti that is often used to decorate tables for birthdays, valentines day, etc.  This offers an opportunity to talk about the different shapes, eg, dogs, hearts, boats, etc. thus adding a more rich language component to the activity.  Push out as much air as possible and then zip the bag closed. 

You can tape the opening to prevent leaks.  You can also double bag if you are worried your little one will poke a hole in it.

Because I ALWAYS worry about safety, I take my pat mat and tape it on to a flat cookie sheet (the kind with no edges).  That way, I don't have to worry about the little ones picking up the bag and chewing on it.  In addition, this provides a hard surface to enhance the movement of the items inside.  This also makes the toy mobile making it a great activity for toddlers in the car.

To encourage motor development, some parents make their own pat mat and tape it down to the surface of a child sized table to encourage their children to stand for longer periods of time. 

A variation on this idea that is appropriate for preschool aged kids is the Magic Paint Bag.  This activity is from the book First Art: Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos by MaryAnn F. Kohl.  This is a FANTASTIC resource that I highly recommend. 

The concept is similar to a "magic slate" (remember those as kids!).  Here's what you'll need:

• tempera paint in thick dark colors
• large, heavy duty zip lock bag
• measuring spoon
• white paper (8 1/2 x 11)
• masking tape
• blunt drawing tools, such as fingers, popsicle sticks or spoons

Prepare by putting 3 tablespoons of tempera paint into the ziplock.  Push out as much air as possible and zip it up.  Place white paper (slightly smaller than the size of the bag) on a low table (or cookie sheet) and put the paint-filled bag on top of it.  Tape the edges of the bag to the surface.

Have your child smooth the paint into a thin layer inside the bag using a flat hand.  Then can then rub their fingertips over the flat side of the bag to draw lines and scribbles.  They can experiment as well using other blunt tools like popsicle sticks or spoons.  The idea is that the dark paint is displaced by their finger or tool to expose the white paper beneath.  Wipe away the designs by gently rubbing hands over the bag and start again.

You can work with your preschool on writing letters or drawing shapes.  It is a great hands-on, early literacy activity that also helps with fine motor development.

As with any activity, you will want to make sure your little ones do not put the bags in their mouth where they can puncture them exposing them to the hair gel or confetti inside the pat mat. 

This is a great activity that the kids love, so I hope you give it a try.  If you do, be sure to post your child's reaction!

Also, feel free to contact me if you have any further questions about how to make either of these toys.  I'm a visual person and prefer to use images to demonstrate, but unfortunately I don't have any for this activity.  Give it your best shot though and let me know how it works out!