I came across this Homemade Elevator Activity and shared it on my blog’s Facebook page some time ago, and finally got round to making it for Noah, who loves pressing the lift buttons.
When we were last back in Singapore, he was only able to reach the bottom two rows of buttons, and we had to keep stopping him from pressing the alarm button, or the open/close button at the wrong time. Thus, I decided to model the lift panel after the one we have back home, so that I can teach him which buttons to press to open or close the lift doors.
Materials
1. Googly eyes – These work well because they become indented when pressed, then pop right back. I got two packs of 8 from Spotlight. Each eye is 15mm in diameter, but you can get bigger ones if you prefer. 2. Craft glue – This one isn’t particularly sticky, and Noah was able to pull some of the ‘buttons’ off. 3. Circular stickers – I couldn’t find any, so I cut some paper, and taped them onto the eyes. 4. Cardboard – I used a rectangular piece of cardboard from the box of one of his toys. You can also use a panel from a cereal box, like what the mom in the original activity I shared did. 5. Marker, pen, and coloured pencils – I coloured the bottom three buttons according to the colours in our lift back home, to make it easier for him to remember.
Googly eyes
Piece of cardboard
Ready to start crafting!
Instructions
1. Prepare your labels by writing the numbers on them.
2. Paste the labels onto the googly eyes, to make your buttons.
3. Arrange the buttons on the cardboard before putting craft glue on them, to ensure you have enough space.
4. Once you’re happy with the spacing between the buttons, glue them down onto the cardboard.
5. Secure your new lift panel onto a wall or cupboard door.
Close-up of the bottom three rows
I placed the panel at the kitchen instead of at the staircase, so that I can keep an eye on him when I’m preparing his food.
This is really simple to make, and I finished it while Noah was taking his nap. He was very intrigued by it when he woke up, and spent quite a lot of time pressing the buttons. However, the crafe glue hadn’t quite dried properly yet, and he managed to pull some of the buttons out.
Pleased with his very own lift panel
Press press press
Why isn’t the lift here yet?
I’m also trying to use this lift panel to teach him simple number recognition, since he seems quite interested in numbers recently. I’ve been asking him to press specific buttons, though his favourite number is 8, and he insists on pressing that most of the time.
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