Fairy tales invite us into a world of magic! Stories about magic allow us to reflect on our own capabilities and to also think about what kinds of powers are possible if we lived in a realm of magic. Here, we invite you to make magic wands with natural materials to add to your dramatic play area. You can also add homemade paper crowns, capes, and other materials for children to get to play dress up of their favorite fairy tale characters.
Set up Time: 2 minutes
Directions
1. Go outside and gather sticks with children. Talk about what size sticks you may need to make the perfect wand.
2. Arrange pipe cleaners, yarn, ribbon or other materials that children can glue or wrap around their stick. For the end of the wand (the part magic comes out of!), gather together some materials that might stick out. This could be craft feathers, foraged materials (like pine needles, or leaves) or fake flowers.
Materials
- Naturally collected materials (sticks, pine needles, flowers)
- Pipe cleaners, yarn, or ribbon
Learning Through Play
Cognitive: Pretend Play – Children love magic! Pretending to be magic is a great way to imagine a world without the confines of gravity (flying), matter (invisibility), or weight (super-fast!), among other scenarios. In other words, magic is actually a great way for children to demonstrate their knowledge of how the world works, which is a facet of their cognitive abilities!
Physical: Fine Motor – Wrapping the pipe cleaner around the stick is actually a very difficult fine motor task for children. Embrace the imperfect wrapping and compliment them on their hard work!
School Readiness: Sorting – Though it might seem like children “really believe” that magic is real, for the most part, they have a really great understanding of the laws of physics. Observe their play and see how they demonstrate their understanding of what is real and not real.
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app along with other fun activities. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
