Trilingual Shape Stamping!
Confession: I hoard toilet paper rolls, and I’m slightly obsessed with finding free ways to recycle cardboard for teaching activities! When I saw a shape stamping activity on MamaPapaBubba, I knew I needed to turn it into a Chinese, Korean, and English sight word game for my daughter!
Since we’re trying to raise trilingual children, and keeping their interest Chinese and Korean has been the priority.
English is the dominant language in our family and community, so we’re always brainstorming ways to make Chinese and Korean as fun as possible.
My daughter 老大 (lǎodà / oldest child) learned shape names in Chinese from her Qiaohu DVD and workbook, and our nanny taught her the Korean translation.
Since the golden rule of raising multilingual children during the toddler years is to focus on the minority languages, I don’t usually do English activities.
But I want my children to appreciate all 3 of their languages. This shape stamping activity was a fun and easy way to mix English, Chinese, and Korean together!
What you need for the paper roll shape stamping activity
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- Paint
- Toilet paper rolls
- Large white sheet of paper
- Painter’s tape
- Paper plates or a flat basin/pan
What to do for the paper roll shape stamping activity
- Bend each roll into desired shape. For the heart, add a piece of tape to keep the crease in place.
- Label each roll with shape name. This serves a reference if your child needs a reminder or is just learning how to recognize the words.
- Tape large sheet of paper to table or floor
- Write shape names all over the paper
- Squeeze paint on plates
- Dip end of roll into paint
- Imprint the shape around the corresponding word
The repetitive matching in this activity helps with memorizing Chinese characters plus Korean and English sight words!
My daughter also had a blast making flowers and rainbows from the shapes! After painting a flower stem and leaves, she decided that she wanted to practicing painting 三 (sān / three).
I love that she added her own creative and educational spin!
Have I convinced you that toilet paper rolls are really the best?! 🙂
Related: Parts of a Flower Sensory Bottles – A Nature Literacy Activity (VIDEO)
PS: Don’t recycle your paper rolls just yet until you try our easy Sun & Moon Paper Roll Stamping Activity!
Have you tried this paper roll shape stamping activity?
If you try this activity, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s), and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!
