Invitation to explore wrapping paper and introduce the concept of 'area'

Invitation to explore Christmas wrapping paper and introduce the concept of area to kids

It has only just ticked over to December and we are already enjoying the thrill of gift giving and receiving. Of course that means that we are also swimming in lots of gift wrapping paper! LOL

As usual, I find it hard to simply throw out the scraps of paper that can simply be discarded to the trash. Instead I thought that Possum and I would have lots of fun exploring these large sheets of decorative paper and also use it as an opportunity to introduce the concept of ‘area’ and do some measuring.

What is ‘area’?

Area is a mathematical term that is used to describe the surface area of an object. When we wrap a present, for example, we are covering the area of the gift with paper. When we think about area we need to consider size. It can also be measured using formal or informal tools.

That’s how I like to explain it but of course you could read more about it here, but to help children better understand the concept you might consider looking here.

Possum is turning 2 in December and so the concept of area is very difficult for her to understand. This didn’t really stop me from allowing her to explore the wrapping paper and have an opportunity to learn about the concept of area in a fun and engaging way though.

Once she had played around the many scraps of Christmas wrapping we have at home I quite simply I presented her with three objects of different sizes and three different sized pieces of paper. Then I asked the question, ‘Which piece of paper should I use to wrap the little car in?’

Possum struggled to understand which piece of paper would best match the object so to cover the surface area of the object but I’m thrilled it opened up so much great conversation.

I was conscious to use lots of rich language. Using words such as ‘big’, ‘small’, ‘little’, ‘cover’, ‘wrap’ and sentences such as ‘where has it gone?’ when it came to discussing the covering of the surface area. All said in a light-hearted tone.

Possum was able to grasp the concept of ‘area’ when she chose to use the large sheet of wrapping paper. She was able to easily cover the surface area of her rainmaker toy using the largest sheet of paper, which was lovely to see her do.

As you can see above, she was quite thrilled she’d covered the toy making it hard to see.

So it seems I might have myself a little present wrapping assistant on my hands after all! 😉

How do your children go wrapping presents?