Tear-and-Stick Party Hat Crowns

You will need

• White printer paper or scrap paperTwo sheets per child — one for the crown, one for tearing
• Colored paper scrapsPre-torn or torn fresh; birthday colors work well
• Glue sticksOne per child
• ScissorsAdult use only to cut crown strips before activity

  Keep scissors with the adult at all times; children do not handle them in this activity.

• Washable markersFor labeling crowns on the back; one or two colors
• Tape or staplerTo close crown at the back; adult use only
• StickersoptionalAny household stickers — stars, dots, hearts

Steps

1. 1

   Cut and label the crowns

   Before anyone sits down, cut one crown strip per child: a rectangle roughly three inches tall and wide enough to wrap a child's head, with simple triangular points along the top edge. Write each child's name on the back in washable marker.

   Tip: Add an inch of overlap so you have room to tape or staple the ends later.

2. 2

   Set out materials

   Place one crown strip, one glue stick, and a small pile of colored paper scraps at each seat. Put extra scraps in the center of the table for sharing. Keep stickers off to the side if you are using them.

   Tip: Fewer color choices moves things faster; three or four colors is plenty.

3. 3

   Show tearing and pressing

   Sit with the children and tear one small piece of paper yourself, saying 'pull it apart slowly — see how it makes a rough edge?' Press it onto your own scrap strip with the glue stick. This is enough instruction; most children will start immediately.

   Tip: Do not demonstrate a finished crown — let children decide what their own looks like.

4. 4

   Stay close and encourage

   Move around the table as they work. If a child's pieces are falling off, help them press harder with a fingertip and hold for a count of three. If a child fills one side quickly, flip the strip and point to the other side.

   Tip: Avoid arranging pieces for them — uneven, overlapping, and upside-down scraps are all fine.

5. 5

   Fit and close each crown

   When a child says they are done or begins to lose interest, pick up their strip, wrap it around their head to check the fit, and tape or staple the ends at the back. Put it on their head right away so they can show the others.

   Tip: Staple on the outside of the overlap so the prongs do not touch the child's head.

Take it to the table

Materials checklist, the steps and the variations on one Letter page.