Maker Monday: Kids can make their own poetry card game

Hello Kidsburgh families! If you’re seeking indoor activities to keep your kids warm and safe during this very cold week, you can do this fun and easy “Let’s Try” Maker Monday project, courtesy of our creative friends at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. This is a creative, free maker activity that your kids can do with items you may have around the house.

This week’s project will teach your kids how to create a homemade card game, while working on their language skills. You’ll find all the details on materials and instructions right here, and you can follow along on the video below to learn each step.

A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on every project, including this one, and always be very careful when using tools of any kind.

Maker Monday materials you’ll need:

• index cards (or thick paper cut to the size of index cards)
• pens or markers
• colored pencils or crayons
• paper to write your poetry on

Instructions:

• Gather 20 index cards or other thin cardboard (you can cut 10 index cards in half to save paper!)
• On the first 10 cards, write items you discover while using your SENSES. These can be 2 things you can smell, 2 things you can taste, 2 textures you can touch, 2 things you can hear and 2 colors you can see.
• On the second 10 cards, write the names of THINGS or other nouns. These can be 2 things you really like, 2 things you don’t like, 2 people you know, 2 things in your bedroom, and 2 places you’ve been.
• Quick tip: Now use your colored pencils to illustrate and decorate all of your cards.
• Now flip all your cards so the blank side is facing up. Mix them up, so you don’t know which ones they are.
• Grab your writing paper and pick 5 random cards (keep them face down).
• Then flip those 5 cards over and select 2 or 3 (or more) of them to use as inspiration for a poem you write.
• You can do this with a friend, each picking 5 cards and then working on your own poems. Have fun reading them to each other when you’re finished!