Cookie Monster is one of the funniest characters to create activities for your toddler to learn. He is funny, he likes to eat, and what toddler doesn’t like Sesame Street characters? Make this simple cookie monster activity to learn colors and/or counting.
Today, we are creating a DIY toy. You can get super creative on with the cookie chips to practice from eye-hand coordination to colors, counting, number recognition, and even the ABCs.
Don’t worry, if you don’t know which one you should work on keep reading because I will tell you what to do depending on your little one’s age.
How to create cookie monster activity DIY TOY
Supplies Needed:
- Empty Milk Carton
- Cookie Monster Printable
- Blue Crayons
- Scissors
- Clear Tape
How to Assemble Feed Cookie Monster DIY TOY
Step 1: Prepare the Props
Print out the cookie-monster-activity printable (here) and cut it in half. Placing the circle cookies aside.
Wash the milk carton to remove any milk left in it.
Step 2: Prepare the milk carton
Align the cookie monster and using a marker, draw on the carton where the mouth would be.
(Note: I should have colored cookie monster with my toddler first)
Using scissors, cut out a semi circle hole. This will be where the mouth will align to feed cookie monster. I poke a hole with a pen or scissors right in the middle where I am doing the cut and using scissors I just go around to cut out the remainder of the hole.
Repeat the same process cutting out the mouth from cookie monster printable.
Step 3: Color Cookie Monster
Color the cookie monster using your favorite art supply. I offer crayons and paint sticks. He chose the paint stick for coloring Cookie Monster.
When done coloring. align the mouth area and secure it with a piece of tape. I added tape to the top lip and bottom lip.
The first try the tape didn’t work because the inside of my carton was wet. Make sure you dry yours first so that the tape gets attached to both sides.
Secure the cookie monster from the top and bottom using clear tape. If you want to make it extra secure use tape on the sides too.
If you want this toy to last longer, you could laminate the sheet after coloring it and securing it.
Step 5: Create the back door
One important part of our toy is a back door so that they can take out the cookies and whatever other toys they decide to feed cookie monster.
I drew out a square and cut out around 3 sides making a flap they can open and close to get their toys out.
Step 6: Choose Your Cookies
Depending on what you want to work on, you can make the cookies many different ways.
For babies: Use small toys or even cereal to work on eye-hand coordination, cause and effect and overall fine motor skills.
For Tabbies: A one-year-old can start working on one on one counting and color recognition. Either use different colors for the cookies to work on colors or just work on counting the cookies as you place them inside Cookie Monster’s mouth.
For Toddlers: Continue to work on one on one counting even up to number 10 – 20 depending on your toddler. You can also work on number recognition so add some numbers onto the cookies and practice recognizing those numbers.
For Preschoolers: You can do all of the above plus you can also use it to practice the ABCs.
Step 7: Secure the cookies
Because paper is fragile, it can get destroyed in 0.3 seconds. You can laminate your cookies before cutting them or you can semi-laminate them like I did and use clear tape to protect the paper a bit.
Step 8: It’s play time!
Encourage your toddler to feed the cookies to cookie monster. Model the activity first without any instructions and say “your turn” hand over the cookies and the monster and see then mimic your action.
Final thoughts
I hope this provides you as much fun as it has done for us. This type of toy has been a favorite for Manu since he was one. We have used it to introduce new foods, because “you see, cookie monster likes it” and he has found it so very entertaining to feed him pom-poms and other toys! Our very first version was a similar monster to feed him Popsicle sticks
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