Foam Plate (Learning Activities)

Teaching my kid everything he needs for preschool is both daunting and enjoyable.

Daunting, obviously, because I want to make sure he is ready for his teachers, and that we've laid a solid foundation so he can easily pick up and master the concepts. I don't want him to be in class struggling. *face palm* Enjoyable because I am literally helping foster a love of learning now that will serve him well for the rest of his life--it is hard not to be lit about it.

I know it seems like I'm reading a whole lot into a 3-year-old's academic chops but it's important to me.

To that end I have been busting my metaphorical buns to find engaging manipulatives, activities, and books to set up our learning space in the house.

I've had great success with most of those, but since we are working on penmanship I have been really getting into the foam plate activity.

The foam plate activity is super simple. All you need is:

1 plate or cookie sheet (preferably ones you don't need for actual cooking or eating)
1 can of soap foam (or shaving cream, unscented)
1 blanket or towel (or if weather permits, go outside on your driveway or deck!)

Note: The soap foam I use is from a play shaving kit Brother Bear got for Christmas last year. It comes out like shaving cream and smells like berries. It's nontoxic and he isn't allergic, which was an important consideration for me because he's got sensitive skin and is prone to an angry red rash when something doesn't agree with his skin. Anyhoo...

The foam plate activity is just as its name suggests.

Sit the blanket down and put the plate on it. Allow some space for your kiddo(s) to sit around the plate. Spray a bit of foam onto the plate and smear it around. Then allow your little one(s) to write letters, numbers, or even draw shapes in the foam.

It gives them some freedom that ruled paper does not. It allows them to feel the shape of the letters as they trace them. They can write big or small. Erasing is easy as pie. And, save the "mess" of possibly (okay, almost definitely) getting soap foam everywhere, it's easy to clean up!

An added bonus is that the soap foam we used doubles as bath soap anyway, so washing hands after was a breeze.

Check out our video of Brother Bear doing the foam plate activity here!

For more homeschool ideas and activities, follow us on our social media.

Facebook 
Facebook
Instagram
Instagram

And if you do anything we talk about, tag us so we can see and support you too!