If you teach about Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and are looking for a fresh project, I may have just saved you some time creating something new! The Multiple Intelligence’s Toy Bag Project is an engaging assignment that can be done hands-on or digitally with your students depending on your time and technology availability!
Materials
- iPads or Laptops
- Projector & Screen
- Toy Catalogs & Store Fliers (optional)
- Scissors & Glue (optional)
Set
- Students will have already learned about Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences via this lesson. However, if you want a more simplified overview of the intelligneces, there is a slide presentation in the attachments below.
- The objective of this assignment is for students to be able to select age appropriate toys, games and activities that help develop the various multiple intelligences. If students need some guidance on appropriate toys, this resource from Good Parenting Brighter Children Nurture your Child’s Wonder offers some great advice and suggestions.
- If you want to add a twist to this project, you can add a price limit to each toy or each bag to make it a bit more challenging…your call!
Directions
- Decide how you wish to assign this project. I place my students into small groups of 2-4 depending on my class size.
- If assigning digitally, students choose a responsible person from their small group to make a copy of the slide deck and invite group members to work on it simultaneously.
- If I have a bunch of toy catalogs and store fliers, I will often assign this as a hands-on project. Groups find toys, cut them out and glue them onto their pre-printed toy bags.
- I recommend each student add a toy to each of the bags and then figure out how they want to fill in the remainder of toys as a group.
- Once toys are selected, students must collaborate to explain how the toy selections fit into Howard Gardner’s theory on the intelligence.
- Optional follow-up if doing this assignment with price limits…set up toy bags and do a gallery walk. Ask students to pretend they are on the preschool committee making toy selections based on their budget. As the teacher, you can set the budget or just ask students to select their favorite toy from each intelligence bag and see which end up being the overall favorites from each intelligence.
Attachments
- Multiple Intelligences Slide Presentation (please make a copy)
- Toy Bag Project Directions & Templates (please make a copy)
Photo by Shirota Yuri on Unsplash
