My preschooler has been reading the Corduroy series at school, and it has become the bedtime story of choice lately.  A recent flurry of Corduroy book activities and my friend Nell’s Teach Kids to Sew with Burlap, inspired our latest Busy Box fun: Sew Buttons for Corduroy!

 Sew Buttons for Corduroy

Corduroy is the story of a small bear in the toy department of a department store. Missing a button, he fears he will never be bought and have a friend.  But he is, and his new friend, a little girl, takes him and home and sews a new button on his overalls. There are several other Corduroy stories, including A Pocket for Corduroy and Corduroy Lost and Found.  They are as popular today for young readers, as they were when they were first published nearly 50 years ago!

Supplies for Sewing Buttons for Corduroy

To stock your Sewing Buttons Busy Box, you only need a few simple and very affordable supplies, most of which can be reused in many other activities.

Supplies

Embroidery hoop
Burlap, 1 square foot
Yarn
Darning needle
Large buttons

Cost: Less than $10
Prep Time: Less than 5 minutes
Clean-Up Time: Less than 5 minutes

You can pick up the embroidery hoop for just a few dollars at your local craft store.  It’s a great option for early sewing, as it holds the fabric taught, simplifying the process for little fingers.  I also like using plastic darning needles for safety purposes.  Last, I recommend picking up the large buttons in person to insure that the holes in the buttons are large enough for the darning needles to fit through.

Fine Motor Skill Challenge: Sewing Buttons

With your supplies assembled, now for the fun part.  Fit the burlap to the embroidery hoop, and thread the yarn through the darning needle.  I demonstrated for the girls how to put the needle through the burlap and then through the button hole, and out an opposite hole. After that, they took over.

My preschool perfectionist was quickly frustrated a few times when she would pull the needle through on the wrong side and end up with a jumbled mess.  But after I told her it just takes practice, and that’s what this was for, she quickly caught on.

I was amazed by how easily my 2 year old caught on as well.  She is much less of a perfectionist, and thus, much less easily frustrated, and loved this activity just as much. After they had both attached all their buttons, they wanted to do it again.  I just cut away the yarn, and let them start over.

The embroidery hoops, darning needles, yarn and buttons are now in our Busy Box for this month, and it makes a reappearance every few days!

More Corduroy Book Activities

Want more book activities inspired by this classic children’s literature?  Check out these Corduroy book activities from our friends around the web.

Corduroy Math: Learning with Buttons | I Can Teach My Child
Learning Your Name with Corduroy | Growing Book by Book
Paper Plate Corduroy Craft | I Heart Crafty Things
Pre-Writing Fun with Corduroy | Toddler Approved
Corduroy’s Buttons Sensory Bin | Preschool Powol Packets
Corduroy Hide and Seek Game | School Time Snippets

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out all our Book-Inspired Activities for Kids and Busy Box Ideas for independent play year-round.  You can also find countless more ideas on our Read! Read! Read! and Quiet Time boards on Pinterest.

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