Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Paper · The activity desk
Paper plate shark story
Fold a paper plate into a shark that opens its mouth in a story.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
One plain paper plate and large child-appropriate crayons
Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.
Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.
Set up: An adult folds the plate in half and creases it gently.
Adult's role: Help hold the folded plate and invite the child to tell a gentle ocean story.
Let's make it happen
- Draw an eye and a fin on each outside half of the folded plate.
- Open the fold and draw a mouth and rows of triangles inside.
- Open and close the plate slowly while imagining where your shark swims.
Make it simpler: Draw a shark on the open plate together.
Clean up: Put crayons away and save or recycle the plate.
Keep the plate away from faces and mouths; remove broken crayon pieces.