I don’t know about you, but waffles are definitely one of my “go-to” foods. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or all of the above). I’ve had my fair share of experiences with them, from crafting waffle cones my first job at an ice cream shop to making epic Belgian waffle sundaes at the dining in hall in college. All of those memories – of accidentally burning myself on the waffle irons and feeling like I was living on the edge eating that Belgian waffle topped with ice cream and sprinkles for dinner – came flooding back as my daughter and I created this craft.

Materials

• colored paper (light brown = waffles, blue & red = berries OR any color for your kind of waffle)
• glue
• pencil
• marker
• scissors
• hole puncher
• something to trace a circle with (if you can’t freehand one that meets your circle standards)

The Paper Prep Part

Trace and cut out a circle from the light brown paper. Fold it in half and cut out the middle to create an “o” shape. (In retrospect, I might have actually made the width much thinner, but we made it work.)

Then, cut strips out of the remaining paper. I made the width of the strips what I thought would be most proportionate to the size of our circles.

The Weaving Part

Put some glue at the top of the circle. Then, add some strips lengthwise (enough to cover the hole as best as you can).

Now for the weaving part – if the kids you’re doing this project with are on the younger side, you can definitely tag team it. The grown-up can lift up the vertical strips (every other one and alternating the pattern for each row) while the kiddo pushes the horizontal strip upwards. You can also glue the edges as you go or wait until you’ve created the woven pattern for the entire waffle.

Once everything is dry, cut the strips around the edges to achieve that “waffle look.” (But don’t eat it. It won’t taste very good).

The Decorating Part

We decided to decorate our waffles with berries. We broke out our hole puncher and punched holes in our colored paper to make blueberries and strawberries. (Again, adult supervision is important, especially for younger kids, to make sure their little fingers are safe while using the hole puncher.)

Then, glue your decorations/toppings on. I used a cotton swab dipped in glue to make dots on the waffles while my daughter stuck the “berries” on the glue dots (excellent way for kids to develop their fine motor skills and coordination!).

After the waffles were dry and while my toddler was napping, I decided to surprise her when she woke up with this:

And here’s a little chant about waffles…

Chants and fingerplays are wonderful ways for young children to experience steady beat, be exposed to different musical meters, and develop their motor skills. I wrote this one specifically to go with this craft! I hope you and your littles enjoy it!

I hope you have a fun time with these waffle activities! And maybe enjoy some waffles afterwards while you’re at it… 🙂

Happy crafting & music-making!

– Hannah