Design-it packs -

Design-it packs from Early Years Fun Subscription boxes for 3 to 6 year olds are Art based activities. They will always be different and go with the theme of the box but will include things like painting, drawing, printing and sticking.

Some examples of Design-it packs:

The Design-it pack from the Spring themed Early Years Fun box involves painting hand print wings onto a butterfly. There is a lot of educational paint fun to be had with this pack. Children are experiencing the feel and texture of paint on their hands and the way it feels when they print it onto their card. They are discovering what happens when colours are blended and mixed together. They are learning about butterflies and their wings and will be talking with you about how butterflies use their wings to fly and learning vocabulary around butterfly wings like “delicate”, “colourful” and “camouflage”

The Design-it pack from the Nursery Rhyme themed Early Years Fun box involves creating a spoon person from the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle. You will find included a wooden spoon, glue, wool, googly eyes, a crayon and various colours of tissue paper for your child to create their own spoon person however they choose. They could draw a face, stick eyes on and wool for hair then make clothes with the tissue paper or they could make the spoon entirely colourful with tissue paper and wrap the wool round the handle. They could tie the tissue paper to the spoon using the wool. There is no right way to design their spoon.They will be learning in the areas of Creative Arts and Design as they are free to explore the materials, make choices about what to do with them and create something unique that they can be proud of. They will be developing their fine motor skills as they put together their spoon and their communication skills as they talk about what they are doing and the Nursery Rhyme they are learning about.

The Design-it pack from the Super Hero themed Early Years Fun box involves using paint brushes, superhero stencils and stickers to paint a superhero picture. Your child will be developing in the area of Expressive Arts and Design as they explore the paint, how the stencils work and as they decide how to make their picture, where to stick their stickers and take care in their work. They will be developing their fine motor skills as they use their paintbrush and stick their stickers. They will be developing their literacy skills as they talk with you about what the stickers say.

What areas of the EYFS can Design-it packs help?

Expressive Arts and Design – Children will be developing their creativity. They will be experiencing and exploring different mediums and textures.

Physical development – Children will often be using their fine motor skills to complete the Design-it pack which will help their Physical development.

Literacy – Children will be exploring mark making and learning that the movements they make correspond to the marks they make. As they do this and practice their fine motor skills, they will be putting in place the basis for good writing skills in the future.

Communication and Language – As children talk with you about what they are doing they will be increasing their vocabulary and conversation skills.

How to make the most of the Design-it pack in your Early Years Fun box

It is important that children are able to develop their creativity and imagination. Try not to get too set on the idea of your child doing everything exactly as it should be according to the instructions or pictures. Instead encourage them to have a go, experiment with their own way of doing things and show pride in their achievements. It is often more about enjoying the experience and learning from the journey than the end result.

Don’t be afraid of mess or at least try to put your dislike of it to one side! Let your child experience the different textures and ways of doing things.

Talk to your child as they are doing the activity. Give them lots of opportunities to tell you about what they are doing and the choices they are making.