Washi Tape Activity Track
Today was one of the coldest days of the year! When I woke up this morning it was 12°F, so I knew I needed to come up with some entertaining indoor activities for the afternoon. Creating a washi tape track is such a simple activity that can have a million different variations, depending on the age and personal preferences of the child.
If you are unfamiliar with washi tape, the first thing you need to know is that it’s amazing! There are so many different things that you can do with this beautiful and versatile tape. Washi tape is a Japanese form of masking tape made out of rice paper and is available in a variety of different colors and patterns. It is a low tack adhesive tape, which means that you can easily lift it up off of a surface without it getting stuck or leaving a mark. That makes it’s perfect for laying down on hardwood floors to use for some fun indoor activities!
If you don’t have washi tape, and don’t feel like buy it either, you can use painter’s tape instead since it has similar low tack qualities.
For our activity today, I placed strips of washi tape on a wooden floor in our living room. I decided to use a a zigzag pattern, but since this was the first time we were doing this activity, I kept the pattern pretty simple.
The first activity we tried with our washi tape track was to simply walk on the line as if it was a tightrope or balance beam. I modeled and walked on the tape first, and Taylor followed. I was sure to emphasize that I wanted to keep my feet on the tape the entire time and I walked heel to toe. She’s still a little bit young to get it completely all by herself, but she did have fun trying! She wanted me to hold her hand while she walked so that she could keep her “balance” and not “fall off” the tape. 🙂
Next, we decided to crawl the track. While we crawled, we pretended to be animals and made animal noises! Taylor is really into elephants and lions right now, so those are the animals she choose.
Once the novelty of walking and crawling around the washi tape track wore off, we busted out some small wooden blocks to play with. Taylor recently got these wooden Melissa and Doug blocks for Christmas and has been obsessed ever since. So for the past few days, I’ve tried to incorporate the blocks into the different activities throughout the day.
I modeled placing the blocks on top of the washi tape and encouraged her to join in. Once she had a fair amount on the track, we stopped to count and see how many total blocks there were. She always gets so excited when we reach a high number!
This was a simple activity that can be tailored to meet the needs of your specific child. Don’t have blocks? Line up some other types of toys on the tape track, or even skip that part all together. Your house, your rules! Just have fun! Comment below to share how you liked or modified this activity with your child. Also, if sharing on Social Media, don’t forget to tag us so we can see it! 🙂
Suggested Materials:
- Washi tape (or painter’s tape)
- Wooden blocks or other small toys
Activity:
Lay strips of washi tape out on a wooden floor or other hard surface. Make a zigzag or other type of pattern for the child to follow. Model how to walk, crawl, and line up toys on the track and encourage your child to join in with you.
Optional Adaptations:
- Try skipping, hopping, or jumping around the track.
- Make a track that loops around multiple rooms in your house!