DIY Angry Birds Felt Board Faces {+ Free Pattern}- Part 1

Do any of you have a child that is obsessed with Angry Birds? Mine is!

We made this Paper Bag Angry Birds game a few weeks ago that was a bit hit.

I also bought my son this Angry Birds games for his birthday... but every once in awhile I kind of wish for a quieter way that we could still have fun with his obsession (and maybe one that doesn't involve flying objects for a few minutes?).

EJ (my co-blogger) flew into the Bay area this weekend and we had fun creating a few things for my kiddos (and partying a bit too).

These DIY Angry Birds Felt Board Faces were the first item on our to-make list. This activity was EJ's suggestion after she got to participate in my son's Angry Birds obsession. I jumped on board immediately!

Materials Needed:

• felt (Set 1 requires red, orange, brown, black, yellow, light green, dark green, and white)
• fabric scissors
• Set 1- Angry Birds Felt Board Template (Yellow and Red Bird, Plus Green Pig included)
• Glue gun (optional for some of the smaller pieces)
• Two sturdier pieces of stiff felt to use as felt boards (I used white and light blue)

Directions:

1. Print and cut out the template pieces.

2. Place template pieces on the appropriate colored felt and cut around them.

3. (Optional) Use the glue gun to secure any tiny details onto the faces (like the black centers of the eyes).

4. Lay out all of the pieces on one piece of felt and give your child a second piece of felt to create on.

5. Start making all sorts of crazy Angry Birds faces!

When we started creating, my son got a little stuck on trying to make the birds/pigs look exactly like the ones he he knows and loves from the game. Although that was fun to try, it was way more exciting once we started creating our own Angry Birds faces.

I started by modeling creative ways that we could mix the pieces up to make silly faces. He caught on quickly and had a great time working with me to make more.

I am planning to hole punch some felt and stick two sheets in a binder, along with these felt pieces secured inside a Ziploc baggie. These silly Angry Bird felt faces will keep us busy when we need to be quiet, but want to still have fun.

What did we learn?

During this activity we...

• talked about the colors and shapes of the felt pieces 
• described the expressions that we saw on the bird's faces
• created new names for our silly Angry Birds
• learned the names of some of the felt face features (mustache, crown, nostrils, snout, etc.)
• identified body parts and talked about where they could be located on animals and on ourselves
• talked about emotions and positive ways to handle things when we are feeling angry, sad, etc. 

Stayed tuned for Set 2 of the Angry Birds Felt Board Templates next week. Set 2 will include patterns for several of the other Angry Birds.

Related Resources:

• Angry Birds for Kids Pinterest board
• Felt & Flannel Fun Pinterest Board.

Good Reads About Anger:

• A Parenting Moment: Eight Ways to Deal with Anger as a Parent? I wrote this on Sunday. It has had a huge positive response from readers. I highly recommend reading the suggestions in the comments! This Angry Birds felt board activity might be a good forum to use to talk about anger with your children. Oftentimes when children are engaged in play, the channels for communication are more open.
• This post by The Home Teacher, Don't Be An Angry Bird: Lessons on Anger Management for Kids, is also a great resource to use as you talk with your children about handling with their own anger. My son often struggles to control his anger when he is frustrated and doesn't know how to communicate it with words.
• The Home Teacher also shares these wonderful (and free) Don't Be An Angry Bird Printables. I love love love her cooling down techniques and posters that she shares. Go check them out!

Do you have any other resources that you use to help foster conversations about dealing with anger appropriately in your home?

Do you have any other favorite Angry Birds themed activities that you've discovered? (My little 4-year-old is begging for you to pass them along to us).