Make a Robot Piñata

Help your children explore 3D shapes while making a colorful piñata.

October 8, 2020

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Young children use touch to explore and learn about shapes. In this hands-on arts activity, children will explore 3D shapes while making a colorful piñata. Fun fact: Piñatas originated in China, then were passed on to Italy and Spain by Marco Polo, and subsequently brought to Mexico. Today, piñatas can be found all over the world and they come in all shapes and colors.

robot piñata assembly family math activity — Children (and parents and caregivers) will have a lot of fun discussing 3D shapes while making this fun craft activity. | Yesenia Prieto

Learning Goals

This activity will help your child:

Learn about shapes while enjoying the arts

Identify 3D shapes in everyday surroundings

Practice describing shapes by its number of sides (faces) and corners (vertices)

Materials

Markers
Tape or glue
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Color construction paper
Colorful tissue paper/crepe paper
Cardboard tube (bathroom tissue roll)
Empty tea box

Watch

A small child counts out the dots on a sheet of paper divided in 10.

Play Number Lotería to Practice Counting

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Create your robot's head: Trace each side of the tea box on the construction paper. There are six sides so you may want to use a variety of colors. Cut out the traced shapes and tape or glue them to the sides of the tea box.

2. Make your robot's body: Trace two circles on the construction paper using the end of the cardboard tube. Cut the circles out and tape or glue them to each end of the cardboard tube.

3. Make paper fringe (papel picado): An essential addition to your piñata is papel picado, the traditional fringe used in many modern piñatas. It is typically made using colorful tissue paper, but the fringe can also be achieved using crepe paper or construction paper.

robot piñata fringe assembly family math activity — Don't forget the fringe! | Yesenia Prieto

4. Dress the body of your piñata: Dress the body by glueing the fringe to your base in rows, starting at the bottom so that the fringe above overlaps the previous row. Alternate colors to make an exciting pattern!

robot piñata body fringe assembly family math activity — Dress your robot with colorful fringe. | Yesenia Prieto

5. Make your robot a hat! To make a party hat for the robot, print the provided template. Cut out the shape provided and decorate while flat. Tape or glue the ends together using the provided guidelines to create a cone shape. Trace the open end of the cone on construction paper. Cut out and tape or glue this shape base of the cone.

robot piñata body hat assembly family math activity — Talk about the shape attributes of a cone while decorating this party hat. | Yesenia Prieto

6. Give your robot a face: Use markers to draw a face on one of the sides of the robot's head.

robot piñata face assembly family math activity — Give your robot some personality! Talk about the facial expressions we make to demonstrate different emotions while drawing a face on the robot head. | Yesenia Prieto

7. Assembly time: Assemble the robot by taping or glueing the bottom of the head to the top of the robot's body.

8. Decorate! Use markers and paper to decorate your robot. You can add arms and legs, control panels, tools — anything you can imagine!

Math Context for Activity

Have your child compare 2D and 3D shapes. How are they similar or different? Point out that 2D shapes are flat (lying in a plane) while 3D shapes are solid.
Explain solid shapes have vertices and faces. Vertices are just another way to say corners and faces or sides are flat surfaces.
Have your child hold each 3D shape and make observations about its attributes (e.g. name, color, number of sides, etc.) Which shapes roll? (A sphere). Which shapes have pointy corners (vertices)? (A cube or a cone).
Show your child the faces of the cube, cylinder, or cone. Point out that the flat faces of 3D shapes are actually 2D shapes! For example, a cylinder has two flat faces shaped like a circle.

Keep the Conversation Going

Practice drawing shapes and naming shapes.
Go on a “Shape Hunt” around the house or the neighborhood. Can you find something shaped like a sphere? What else do we have around our house that is round with no corners? (A ball, a globe).
Have your child combine shapes to make new shapes. For example, two right triangles can be combined to make a rectangle.
Construct a sphere!

Book Suggestions

“Now What? A Math Tale” written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Chris Chatterton (Ages 2-5)

“Now What? A Math Tale” written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Chris Chatterton with an illustration of a dog and wood blocks — “Now What? A Math Tale” written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Chris Chatterton

“Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, and Spheres” by Tana Hoban (Ages 4-8)

“Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, and Spheres” by Tana Hoban with a picture of kids playing in cardboard boxes — “Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, and Spheres” by Tana Hoban

“Shapes, Shapes, Shapes” by Tana Hoban (Ages 4-8)

“Shapes, Shapes, Shapes” by Tana Hoban with a photo of feet in black and white patterned sneakers over a black and white patterned tile floor and a small red ball. — “Shapes, Shapes, Shapes” by Tana Hoban

Online Games

Make an Easy Bird Feeder

A child's hands holds a bird feeder made with a pipecleaner, cereal and blueberries.

Make a Kid-Friendly Bouquet of Pretty Paper Flowers

colorful flowers made of tissue paper and pipe cleaners in a blue vase filled with beans

Corresponding Standards

Head Start Preschool Math
Goal P-MATH 9. Child identifies, describes, compares, and composes shapes.

Common Core Kindergarten Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4
Analyze and compare 2D and 3D shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/"corners") and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length).

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5
Model shapes in the world by building shapes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6
Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.

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