Get crafty with the DUCK Lab! Each Friday, trained research assistants from the UNCG Psychology Department’s DUCK Lab will guide at-home crafts for children ages 3 to 12. Parents can join too to learn fun facts about crafts that foster age-appropriate skills or learn about the DUCK Lab’s nonprofit child development research projects.Â
This Friday, the DUCK Lab invites all preschool-age friends to join Levi and make a snowperson ornament! Follow along as Levi takes you through each step and see how we can make a snowperson craft for winter days without snow!
Parents, did you know?
This craft offers an opportunity for your children to illustrate their emergent causal reasoning abilities. Read on below for more info. about the connection between these types of activities and age-appropriate developmental milestones.
We also invite you to check out our child development research opportunities, which are now modified for the virtual world! Please click here to learn more or sign up to participate with us.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Supplies:
White construction paper
1 black pipe cleaner
Small foam shapes or stickers or other decorative material (e.g., buttons)
2 googly eyes
Glue
String, ribbon, or yarn
Holepunch (for adult to use)
Directions:
Cut one large circle, one medium circle, and one small circle from white construction paper. Glue together to build the snowperson body.
Glue the googly eyes on the snowperson body.
Attach the foam shapes (or other decorative materials) to make the rest of the snowperson face.
Cut and attach the pipe cleaner to the snowperson body to make the arms.
Make a hole at the top of the snowperson’s head with a hole punch or scissors (ask for an adult for help). Tie a string to the top of the snowperson to hang it.
The DUCK Lab: Snowperson Ornament
Relation to Developmental Science:
Preschoolers understand that events have causes and parents can use this craft to help children practice their causal reasoning abilities. For example, parents can chat about how it can only snow when it is cold outside. When it is hot outside, it cannot snow due to the high temperature. Parents can also talk about how making a real snowperson is a little different than making a snowperson ornament. A real snowperson needs snow to be built, which means snowpeople can only be made when it is cold enough outside for snow to fall. A snowperson ornament does not need snow, so it does not depend on the weather. Additionally, preschool aged children often use their imagination. For this craft, young children can practice their imagination skills and pretend that their little snowperson is a real one. Using imagination is common at this age and helps children practice perspective taking, which might help them build skills to become more open-minded.
*Great for preschoolers!
The DUCK Lab is a partner in the nonprofit Child Development Research Center in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They conduct studies of social and cognitive development with 2- to 12- year-olds. Families who participate in their research studies are volunteers in the Greensboro community who generously offer their time to help support research and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
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