A Partridge In A Pear Tree

The Twelve Days of Christmas song is very familiar to most of us. In the lead up to Christmas, why not incorporate it into your children’s activities? This messy activity is suitable for groups of any size.

Follow our simple step-by-step guide to have a go at this PSED activity today:

What you need:

• Medium-size potatoes (one potato for every two children)
• Knife
• Green and brown paint
• Tree PDF

Preparing the activity:

1. Print out an A3 version of the Tree PDF for each child.
2. Cut the potatoes into halves, then cut a shape into one end to make a stamp. Use a cookie cutter, if you have one, or just print/draw an outline to cut around. You will need multiple pear-shaped stamps (one per child) and one bird-shaped stamp (just a basic shape – it doesn’t have to be fancy!).
3. Set up the children’s work area with plates of green paint that the children can use to dip their pear stamps into.

Doing the activity:

Show the children how to dip their potato stamps into the paint and then let them decorate their trees with pears! Once they’re finished, help them stamp a brown bird (or partridge) on the tree to complete the image.

Adapting the Activity:

While this plan is Christmas-themed, it can easily be adapted to a non-Christmas setting. The painting could simply be a picture of a tree that the children fill with leaves!

Tracking the activity:

16-26 months

Expressive arts and design: Exploring and using media and materials; “Notices and is interested in the effects of making movements which leave marks.”

22-36 months

Expressive arts and design: Exploring and using media and materials; “Experiments with blocks, colours and marks.”