Too Short for Twister

 All of my kids love to play Twister.  The only problem for the younger ones is the board is wider than they are!  Jude is just about "officially" old enough (the box says "Ages 6+") but he doesn't have the wingspan to make it work.

Damien likes to play, too. He doesn't know his left from his right very well yet, but he does know his colors and his hands from his feet.  Unfortunately, he can't even do "hand here, foot there" because he's too small as well.

 A little bit of "Yankee ingenuity" means they can now play.  With some builders' floor paper and craft foam, we made a preschooler-sized mat!

 Here's how you can make one, too!

Preschooler Twister-Style Mat

Materials:

4' length of builders' paper
2 pieces each red, blue, yellow and green 8.5" x 11" craft foam
scissors
glue

Notes:

• I really like builder's paper for this. It's not slip-proof, but it's less likely to slide around than any other paper.  You can find it in the flooring section of a hardware/building supply store, and it's generally much cheaper than "Kraft" paper.  
• Construction paper or cardstock would work instead of the foam.  
• A 4" length is sufficient for 2 players. If you want to use this for a larger group, cut your paper in longer lengths, allowing about 2 feet (two sets of squares) for each person.
•  We are using the spinner that came in the big kids' game box.  If you don't have a full-size Twister game, you can either make your own spinner or just call out direction.  We're not doing left/right, just hand/foot, so I'll just say "foot red, hand yellow," for Jude and Damien. 

Directions:

1.  Cut a 4' length of builders' paper from the roll.

2.  Match and fold the narrow ends of the craft foam together.  Cut each piece in half, following the fold line.   Then trim about 2 1/2" from the side, so you have a piece approx. 6" square.

3.  Space the pieces evenly along the builders' paper.   Line them up  - red, blue, yellow, green.

4.  Glue the squares to the paper.

 If you like,  you can stomp them down to make sure they stick well.

5.  Allow to dry.  (Jude surrounded the mat with chairs and stood guard to make sure nobody messed with it!)

6.  Have fun!

Playing with friends!
 








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