Since the fox is the most popular hero of children's fairy tales, this is the best animal to choose for geometric shapes appliques, origami or cardboard crafts. Such a product will develop the baby's fine motor skills and allow you to act out your favorite story about animals in person.
Benefits for children from creating geometric appliques
Children begin to be interested in geometric figures very early (from about 1.5 years), as these specific concepts help them to understand the world around them. There is no need to study figures specifically, it is enough to mention the shape of objects and favorite toys during games, reading books and everyday activities (a plate is round, the rings of a pyramid are circles, the ears of a cat in a book are triangular).
The range of shapes that children recognize expands with age:
| Age of the child | Geometric shapes that a child recognizes |
| 1.5 – 2 years |
|
| 2 – 3 years |
|
| Over 3 years old |
|
This classification is very conditional; it depends on the child’s development and area of interests.
A fox made of geometric shapes is a craft that not only helps to learn shapes in practice and understand why they are needed, but also allows you to consolidate many general skills:
- ability to work with scissors;
- ability to use a pencil and ruler;
- ability to work with glue;
- ability to fold paper;
- the ability to build a composition on a sheet of paper.
In addition, geometric applique, which involves working with several parts and tools, promotes the development of fine motor skills, and the simultaneous pronunciation of all processes and the competent selection of topics for work (animals, transport, toys, fairy tales) brings great benefits for the development of the child's speech.
Organizing work on crafts from geometric shapes
A fox made of geometric shapes is an applique that should not turn into a dry repetition of theory. It is better to start the lesson with a riddle, a surprise or an encrypted theme of the applique.
Also, the work process should be combined with speech development, so the lesson can begin with a fairy tale or a poem, the characters of which need to be made.
When planning the work, it is also important to consider the organization of the workplace and safety precautions. The table should be covered with a non-slip stand or oilcloth so that you can glue safely.
In addition to the basic materials, children should have wet wipes and paper for blotting the product and wiping the brush. It is better for children to work in a special apron and armlets. Before starting work, you need to remind them of the rules for the safe use of scissors and other tools and materials.
| Tools and materials | Basic rules |
| Scissors |
|
| Pencil and ruler (template) |
|
| Glue |
|
Geometric paper fox appliques
A geometric applique of a fox can be made from different figures with varying degrees of involvement of the child, depending on his age.
Below are 3 options with increasing difficulty.
Master class – paper applique “Fox and Kolobok” (with methodological recommendations)
The Fox and the Kolobok is a simple applique made of geometric figures, designed for children aged 1.5 to 4 years. Depending on age, the child's level of participation in the direct execution of the work increases.
Tools and materials:
- Orange colored paper (double-sided or single-sided, offset, normal density) – 1 sheet.
- Colored paper - black, white, green - small pieces.
- Glue stick or PVA glue (with a brush).
- Scissors with blunt ends.
- Felt-tip pens or colored crayons.
- Pictures of animals made from geometric shapes.
It is better to start any creative activity in a heuristic manner, that is, not to immediately reveal what will be discussed, but try to make the child guess. You can show the child a yellow circle cut out in advance and ask what it is.
The answers may be different - a circle, a sun, a ball, Kolobok. Then the adult turns the circle over, and on the other side there is a cheerful face drawn, the child recognizes Kolobok, and this surprise always causes joy and a positive mood. Then, together with the child, you should remember the fairy tale and at the same time repeat the geometric figures.
The lesson proceeds approximately according to the following plan:
- Adult: “The bun keeps rolling, and who’s coming towards him?” (shows a picture)
- Child: "Hare."
- Adult: “What kind of head does a hare have?”
- Child: "Round."
- Adult: “What kind of triangle is this?”
- Child: "Carrot."
If the baby is 1.5 - 2 years old, then the questions can be replaced with a story: "Look at the bunny. What a round head and belly he has, and his carrot is triangular, and his paws are circles."
An adult also needs to prepare or take from ready-made sources pictures of a wolf and a bear made of geometric figures; the set of figures in the drawing depends on the age and level of development of the child. You can draw animals during class - on a white board or a sheet of paper, so it will be more interesting for the child.
The process of making the applique:
- When the fairy tale is nearing its end, the adult places the pre-cut parts of the fox on a white sheet of cardboard and asks what kind of animal can be assembled from these triangles, what color this animal is, and it is necessary to emphasize that the fox is called “red” and not “orange”.
For children aged 4–5, you don’t have to cut out the pieces in advance; instead, show them the drawing and let them cut out the triangles themselves, repeating how to hold the scissors and move the paper.
- Next, you need to lay out the fox on a sheet of paper. Children aged 3-5 can simply be asked to assemble the fox from the parts, and then glue it using a glue stick or PVA glue and a brush.
With children of this age, you need to talk about how to apply glue evenly to the entire part and not to take too much glue, wipe the brush on the edges of the container, and be sure to use a separate sheet of paper to smooth out and blot the parts. One of the triangles can be glued together.
With children aged 1.5 to 3 years, an adult makes the product together, while at 3 years old it is already possible to observe and help, and at 2 years old, distribute responsibilities so that the work goes quickly - an adult can apply glue, and the child can glue, or vice versa.
It is better to accompany the work with requests in the following vein:
- Give me the biggest triangle, please. Okay. That will be the body.
- Apply glue to a long triangle. What will it be? Correct. A tail.
— Find 2 small identical triangles. Let's check. Yes, identical. These are ears. Where will they be?
For such a child, an applique is always also an activity for speech development; the combination of exercises for the development of fine motor skills and speech exercises gives the maximum effect.
- Next, you need to add small details - eyes, nose, mustache. The child can glue or draw the nose and eyes.
- We trust the child to glue and color the gingerbread man completely independently.
- After this, older children can make a Christmas tree and mushrooms from additional geometric shapes, and little ones can draw grass and the sun.
Master class – paper applique “Red-haired rogue”
A fox made from geometric shapes is a simple craft that is suitable for children aged 3-6 years.
It will not only develop such general learning skills as using scissors (including cutting out parts with rounded edges), gluing a part, calculating a composition, but will also give the opportunity to repeat geometric shapes. The craft involves a large set of shapes - oval, triangle, rhombus, circle, rhombus, trapezoid, this list can be expanded or shortened.
Tools and materials:
- Colored paper in orange, green, brown, black and white.
- Cardboard for base and templates.
- Glue stick or PVA glue, glue brush.
- Safety scissors.
The lesson can begin with riddles about forest animals and looking at their images made up of geometric shapes.
The last riddle will be about the fox:
This red-haired rascal
He catches mice deftly.
There is no more cunning beast in the forest
Who is she? Tell me quickly!
If you don’t have time to solve riddles, you can ask what kind of animal can be made from a given set of geometric shapes.
Making the applique:
- For children aged 2–3, an adult gives ready-made parts of the fox and asks them to name the geometric figures. Children aged 3–4 can cut out the parts themselves, completely or partially. Older children aged 4–6 can already trace the parts themselves using a template.
At this stage, children aged 6–8 years can be given the task of getting 2 small triangles for the ears without a template (cut a square), making a trapezoid for the muzzle (cut a triangle), building a rhombus without a template (use triangles).
- Next, the children make a fox figure on the base sheet with or without the help of adults. It is necessary to draw the children's attention to the fact that the image should be in the middle.
- At the next stage, children glue the parts. Children aged 2–3 assemble the product with the help of an adult, who guides the children with questions and instructions, helping to choose the parts: “Let’s take the largest oval, and now spread glue on the trapezoid.” Assembly begins with the body and head.
- Children can draw or glue on eyes, nose, whiskers, and claws.
- At the final stage, older children can cut out and glue grass, trees, and mushrooms themselves or using templates.
Master class - paper applique "Fox and Hare" (tangram)
This applique is designed for ages 6-8, as children do not just have to glue the pieces, but solve a puzzle made up of geometric figures of a tangram square.
Tools and materials:
- Colored paper in orange and blue.
- Light colored cardboard for the base.
- Glue stick or PVA glue, glue brush.
- Safety scissors.
- Schemes of a fox and a hare, composed of tangram pieces (riddles and possible solutions).
An adult shows and explains what a "Tangram" is. Children need to be asked what parts the square is divided into. On a magnetic or cardboard square, you can quickly show how to assemble the simplest figures.
Next, show the image of a hare and a fox made from tangram figures without internal lines (riddles). Ask what kind of animals these are, and inquire in which fairy tale the fox drove the hare out of his house and remember this fairy tale together.
The process of making the product:
- Children are given the hare and fox pieces one by one, or they can cut them out themselves.
- Children make figures on the base.
- The test is being carried out, compared with the sample.
- Next, the children glue the pieces to the base.
- You can also ask the children to make a bunny's hut in any shape or from tangram pieces.
Master class – paper applique “Fox and mouse” (with origami elements)
This applique is perfect for the first acquaintance with origami and is aimed at children aged 3-4 years. Making this craft allows you to introduce children to the basic actions of origami - forming a triangle from a square, straightening the folds.
Tools and materials:
- Orange colored paper (double-sided).
- Colored paper of any light color.
- Cardboard base with an image of a mink.
- Glue stick or PVA glue for assembly.
- Small pieces of black and white paper.
An adult shows a sheet of paper with a schematic drawing of a hole. The answers may vary. As a result, it turns out that this circle is a hole in which a mouse lives. An adult reads the children the fairy tale "The Fox and the Mouse" by Vitaly Bianki.
Then the kids are shown 2 squares - red and any other color - and are asked what kind of figures these are and whether they believe that fairy tale characters can be made from them.
The adult explains that the Japanese art of paper folding – origami – will help to do this, and demonstrates what figures have already been folded (for example, you can show a crane or a crow using the origami technique). While folding the paper, all the names of geometric figures are pronounced.
For the Fox and the Mouse, you will need squares no larger than 6-7 cm so that the figures fit on an A4 sheet of paper. For the Fox - 2 squares, and for the Mouse - 1 square.
Making a fox using origami technique:
- Children place a square in front of them and fold it in half to form a triangle.
- Then you need to make a small triangle from the large one, carefully ironing the fold.
- Next, you need to unfold the small triangle, place the large triangle with its apex facing you, and bend the sides of the triangle inward so that the corners stick out from above. These are the fox's ears.
- The next step is to turn the product over and glue on the eyes and nose.
- Next you need to make the body and tail. First, fold the square in half.
- Then bend one of the corners so that a triangle sticks out from the side.
- Glue the white tip to the triangle. The tail is ready.
- Next, glue the body and head together.
Making a mouse using origami technique:
- First, fold the square in half.
- Then place the triangle with the top facing you and fold the left edge towards the middle so that the corner extends slightly beyond the triangle.
- Then this corner is folded back, forming a small accordion. This is the ear. It can be rounded a little with scissors.
- The bottom corner is folded.
- The mouse's eye, whiskers and mouth can be drawn or glued on.
When both figures are ready, they are glued to the sheet with the mink or a fairy tale is played out with them.
Master class – three-dimensional origami figure “Brother Fox”
This master class is suitable for children aged 4-7. All stages of making the figure are very simple, there is only one moment that requires the help of adults. Children familiar with origami can make the figure according to the scheme.
Tools and materials:
- Orange colored paper (with good density).
- A small piece of black and white paper or a thin black marker.
An adult reads one of the fairy tales about Brother Rabbit and Brother Fox by Joel Harris to children. Then the children are shown a square and told that in 5 minutes they can make the hero of this fairy tale, and origami, the Japanese science of folding paper, will help them.
The process of making the product:
- First you need to fold the square in half.
- Then fold the resulting triangle in half to mark the middle.
- Then bend both corners of the triangle inward, and you will get a square again.
- Then fold it in half to create a multi-layer triangle.
- The right side of the triangle needs to be folded inward, not reaching the middle, so that the corner sticks out.
- The next layer needs to be straightened and bent down. You will get a head and 2 ears. An adult should do this step together with a child or show it very slowly.
- The second corner of the large triangle bends downwards. This is the tail.
- Eyes and nose can be drawn or glued on.
Master class – volumetric figure from geometric shapes “The fox walked along the path”
The fox made of geometric shapes, presented in the master class, is a simple craft made of cardboard that can be used for role-playing, as a Christmas tree decoration or for a puppet theater. This paper fox figure can be made by children aged 5 to 9 years, children younger than this age will need help from their parents at the assembly stage.
Materials and tools:
- Thin orange cardboard.
- White paper.
- Black colored paper or black marker.
- Scissors.
- Glue stick or PVA glue.
- A piece of wire or cardboard to attach the head.
- Brown colored paper.
- Clip.
The adult says that a fox came to visit the children today (shows a three-dimensional figurine) and brought a poem, Children should help to choose a rhyme and guess which foxes are being discussed:
The fox walked along the path
And she carried mushrooms in a basket:
Five honey mushrooms and five chanterelles
For foxes and chanterelles.
An adult asks the children what shapes they will use to make a fox. It is not so easy to determine from the volumetric craft.
Manufacturing process of the product:
- Children cut out the fox details.
- After this, glue on the white elements - the tip of the tail, cheeks, ear triangles, you can immediately glue and draw the nose and eyes.
- Next, glue the cone from the semicircle; the attachment point can be secured with a paper clip for a while.
- After this, attach the head with a cardboard strip or wire so that it can tilt.
- At the next stage, the paws and tail are glued on; the parts need to be pressed with your fingers for some time from the outside and inside of the cone so that they are fixed more tightly.
- You can also cut out the basket, there should be a cut in the middle of the handle so that the basket can be removed.
The geometric appliques and crafts described in this article feature only a fox, but all the ideas can be used to create other animals that children enjoy.
Author: Pichugina Stanislava
Video about geometric shapes appliques
Application fox from geometric shapes - origami for children: