Cinderella Movie: Educational Activities and Games for 2 to 5 Year Olds

Let's face it, kids love movies, but it's been proven that they should watch no more than 2 hours of TV a day. So why not combine their love of a movie and activities that will help them learn and grow? Following are suggestions for the movie Cinderella released in 1955. These activities would also work well for preschool classes and party games for this age group.

Watch the movie

Let your kids watch the show while you prepare the activities for the rest of the day or attend to other responsibilities.

If the Shoe Fits

Set out three to four sets of shoes. Set out only one pair that actually fits your child. Have your child try on the shoes. If it is too big say "oh those are too big" and show them how the shoes are bigger than their feet. A good way to do this is by taking off the shoe and holding it up to their foot. Do something similar with shoes that are too small. When they find the pair that fits, help them get them on and talk about them being the right pair of shoes.

Have a Royal Ball

Create an invitation to a royal ball by rolling a piece of paper. Then tie ribbon around it. Deliver it to your child and tell them that at a ball people wear their nicest clothes. Help them get dressed up, then turn on some music and dance.

Make Fairy Godmother's Wand

Get a straw and put two small nick in the top. Cut a star out of construction paper and let your child decorate it. Insert the star into the two notches at the top of the straw. You may want to also apply a little bit of glue to keep it from falling out. Help your child tie some ribbon onto the straw and you're done.

Plant a Pumpkin Seed

A large pumpkin became Cinderella's coach to take her to the ball. Show your child the pumpkin seed and explain to them that a big pumpkin plant grows from the little seed. Talk about what a seed needs to grow. Have them help you plant the seed and watch over the next few weeks as it sprouts.

Read a Book

There are a lot of different versions of the Cinderella story. Read your child one of these versions and ask them to compare it to the movie. Ask them to tell you things that are different and things that are the same. Following are a few books that tell the different versions of Cinderella.

• The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller
• The Korean Cinderella (Trophy Picture Books) by Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller
• The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo and Robert Florczak
• Eight Cinderellas by Nancy Polette