Paint a round cookie tin lid white, then let kids build silly snowman faces with craft-foam features and accessories backed with magnetic tape. The pieces store inside the tin, so it doubles as a portable game.
Small pieces (pom poms, foam features, magnetic tape strips) can be a choking hazard. Supervise toddlers closely and keep pieces away from children who still mouth objects.
Check the cookie tin and lid for sharp edges before handing them to kids.
Adult does all the cutting of foam and magnetic tape.
Let the acrylic paint dry completely before play, and wash hands after painting.
Before the kids arrive
Adult: cut snowman features (eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks) and a few accessories (hats, bows, earmuffs) from craft foam.
Check that a magnet sticks to your cookie tin lid before painting it.
Steps
Paint the round cookie tin lid with white acrylic paint.
Let it dry, then add another coat if the tin's design still shows through.
Decorate the foam hats with ribbons and pom poms.
Adult: cut strips of magnetic tape and stick one to the back of each foam piece.
Put the white lid on the tin and keep all the magnetic pieces inside.
Stick on eyes, a nose and a mouth to make a snowman face.
Add a hat, cheeks and a bow. Swap pieces around to make new silly snowmen.
Lay the pieces magnet side up in a straight line and roll the tin over them like a wheel to pick them up.
Make faces inside the tin, behind the lid, or pile everything on top for a messy snowman.
Tips
At the minimum you will need eyes, a nose and a mouth with a hat to have a play session. The rest is up to you, your kids and the time you are willing to devote.from the author
The magnetic tape comes with a sticky back, so glue is not needed.from the author
Depending on your lid, it may need more than 1 coat of paint to fully cover it.from the author
It worked beautifully as one-on-one time with my toddler. Her squeals of joy actually woke up her sleeping grandmother!from the author
This may be a great exercise even for younger children learning their facial features, and a precursor to drawing basic human faces.from the author
It's a portable game that stores easily, which makes it good for long drives. Makes for a great gift too!from the author
Make it your own
Rolling pick-up game: line up the pieces magnet side up and roll the tin like a wheel to collect them.
Hang the earmuffs from the bottom of the tin like a bell and sing "Ding Dong Bell."
Messy snowman: stick all the foam features on top of the tin at once.
Make a snow girl: put the bow on the head instead of the neck.
Make a large magnetic snowman on the refrigerator instead.
The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · January 2014
The children painted a round cookie tin lid with white acrylic paint. Depending on your lid, it may need more than 1 coat to fully cover it up.
I cut snowman features and a couple of accessories (hats, bows and earmuffs) from craft foam. The kids decorated the hats with ribbons and pom poms.
I stuck sticky-back magnetic tape to the back of the foam pieces, so no glue was needed. A bright white cookie tin with magnetic features was a very inviting play setup.
She had a choice of eyes, mouth, cheeks, bows and plenty more to choose from. She started off making simple faces with her favorite accessories.
Note the fine motor skills practice that goes into activities like this. This may be a great exercise even for younger children learning their facial features.
Of all the snowman faces she made that afternoon, this face by far is my favorite.
She cracked up really hard after making each "silly snowman", as she called him. Here he is with a piratey-looking hat with multiple pom pom jewels adorning it.
She laid down all the foam pieces magnet side up, lined them up nice and straight, then rolled the cookie tin like a wheel to pick them all up.
To top it all, she hung the earmuffs from the bottom of the cookie tin and started singing the nursery rhyme "Ding Dong Bell" really loud.
Take a look at all the silly little snowman faces she made. As you can see, there are so many ways to play with this simple set. Makes for a great gift too!
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