Ok, how cute are these elf clothes?!? The other day I had an idea to make an elf clothes line for my boys to get in some fun, seasonal, fine motor practice. But I will kid you not, I am no designer. I can create ideas for activities all day long- but designing is not my strength. So I talked my good Friend Leah who designs invitations, cards, and more for her Etsy shop LeeLeeandSumSum. She was on the task and created the super-cute elf clothes that were perfect for my idea 🙂
She simply sent me over a file which I was able to print on my home computer. Once printed, I cut the designs and laminated them for extra durability (we are playing with toddlers here). But if something were to happen to my lovely elf clothes, the files are stored on my computer and mine to use and print again as often as my toddlers deem necessary 😉
My oldest son was giddy over how cute these miniature clothes were!
He got right to work hanging those clothes up on the line. Opening and closing the clothespins is still a somewhat challenging task for him, but it is right in his Zone of Proximal Development (an area where he need some assistance, but is showing learning/growth).
It was great to watch him intently work on getting all the clothes hung. There were moments of frustration with smaller items (like the booties), but we talk about “using our words” when those moments arise and asking for help. I try not to step in to help until he asks for it (although it is really tough to restrain myself from helping, it is worth waiting for him to either ask or take time to do it himself. This fosters independence and positive self-esteem).
He felt quite a sense of accomplishment in the end when all the clothes were hung and we were able to take them down and do the activity several more times! We even came up with another activity to do with the clothes: matching the clothes to silhouettes drawn on a cookie sheet.
We loved all the opportunities for play and learning that these elf clothes provided us with! Currently, they are hanging in our Christmas learning center where the boys can come back to the activity as often as they’d like (come back soon too see more of the learning center I’m talking about!) If you’d like the elf clothes to use in your preschool (or homeschool) centers, you can get them in the LeeLeeandSumSum shop here. And as a special gift to our readers, you can get a 15% discount right now by using the code “munchkins15”!
*Special thank you to my friend Leah who designed and provided the discount for this printable!
