Building Skills – Scarecrows

Creating scarecrows is a great activity for kids for a number of reasons.

Large Motor Skills

• Stuffing straw into leg and arm holes
• Lifting body parts
• Reaching and stretching

Fine Motor Skills

• Picking up small pieces of straw
• Buttoning shirts and pants

Language Skills
Labeling child’s actions, such as:

• Describing the scarecrow
• Creating stories about the scarecrow

Emotional Skills
Creating something that will be part of their garden or outdoor space for an entire season builds an attachment to this project.

Social Skills
In a group, children will be sharing materials and common space. You can lead in conversation what each child is doing.

Cooperative Skills

• Lifting together
• Sharing materials
• Building near each other

Cognitive Skills
Children decide what final outcome of scarecrow will be. This develops abstract thinking.

Imaginative Skills
Children build the scarecrow based on visual perceptions they remember or have seen in stories.

If you’re looking for a great activity to do with your child, try building a scarecrow.