Activity best for children ages 4 and up

Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to make a handmade gift alongside your child! For this activity you will learn how to make a heart-shaped bookmark using the art of origami that you can gift to a special mom or someone else important to you or keep for yourself to enjoy while you are reading your favorite book. Origami is a type of crafting that uses the art of folding paper to create interesting objects such as shapes, animals, ornaments, and flowers.  In addition to making paper gifts, origami is a great craft to do alongside someone special as you can practice patience, perseverance, and teamwork. One of the best parts about this heart-shaped bookmark is that you will be able to use it while you share a favorite book together!

Consider these suggested strategies if your child needs assistance while working on a craft:

1. Copy Cat: With each of you using your own set of the same materials, slowly move through each step, demonstrating what you are doing, verbally offering instructions, and waiting for your child to complete each step before moving forward. Observing moments of frustration, you can adjust your directions to meet your child at their learning threshold.
2. Hand-over-hand: Using your hands over your child’s hands, you can gently guide them through a difficult step.
3. Ask for Help: Instead of immediately offering to help or doing a step for them, encourage your child to ask for help when they need it. This allows them to decide if they want help or if they want to keep trying. You can say “I see how hard you are trying. Just let me know if you want me to help you.” You can also engage your child in a problem-solving conversation by asking, “What part is causing you frustration?” or “What ideas do you have to fix that?”
4. Positive Encouragement: Make positive comments about your child’s effort, such as: “This is not easy but I see that you are working hard to get it done” or “It is okay to keep trying” or “We can work as a team to help each other.”

Guiding Questions:

Why are hearts a good shape to use when we make someone special a gift? How does it make you feel when you make your mom or someone else a handmade gift?

What is your favorite book? What book should we use with the bookmark first?

Grown Ups-Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!

Reading Connections

“More-igami” by Dori Kleber

Real World Connections

Make different colors of the origami heart bookmark and use them to mark reading goals in a beginner chapter book that you read together or for each family member to use with their own favorite book.