Mittens may keep our hands warm but when you try to actually use your hands with mittens on, it can be quite challenging.Â
The children were up to the challenge of seeing if they could play like they normally would do only this time, they had to wear a pair of mittens. Just by saying that this is a Mitten Challenge, the kids were all in. Everyone loves a good challenge.
Set up your mitten challenge..
The set up of the table included four trays with something different on each tray.Â
- Pretend coins and little cans with holes cut in the top like a piggy bank.
- Wooden blocks for stacking.
- Gems and jars for sorting, filling, or just taking the gems in and out of the jars.
- Square wooden blocks and tongs for sorting, counting, or patterning.Â
And a whole bunch of mittens from the Dollar Tree. You could really put anything out as part of your challenge. It could be a puzzle or scissors and paper, but you don’t want to overcomplicate the challenge. Keep your setup simple and let the challenge for the children be using the mittens for play.
The Mitten Challenge
Each of the games we set out were fairly interesting on their own but adding the mittens to the table made the games really interesting. Not only did the mittens make the games more interesting, but the challenge of using the mittens to pick up coins or stack blocks or open and close a jar naturally led to a good workout of fine motor control and development.Â
I’ve got a challenge for you too…
Now if you are considering your own mitten challenge, then I have a little challenge for you too! Choose a book about Mittens to read to the children before inviting them to try your mitten challenge. Your challenge is to read the book wearing your own mittens! Are you up for it? The children will love the idea of watching you read a book and trying to turn those pages with a pair of mittens on!Â