Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Start by gathering up supplies. We used wooden sticks we had on hand from another project, but the thicker the stick, the more sturdy the fishing pole will be. We also used fold-over magnets so they would be easy to tie on. You could glue a magnet on if you needed to. (Make sure your child is old enough to know not to swallow magnets.)
Step 2
First we cut out fish from the construction paper.
Step 3
Then the kids decorated the fish to their liking. This would also be the point where you could add numbers, letters, words, or anything else you want your kids to learn as they fish.
Step 4
To make the fishing pole, we tied a string to the wooden dowel then taped around the string a few times. Then we tied on a magnet to the other end of the string.
Step 5
To make the fish "catchable," we added paper clips to each fish.
Step 6
We spread the fish out on the ground and the kids went fishing. I gave them challenges ("How many blue fish can you catch?") and they navigated around the pool to catch the right fish.
Final result!
My five-year-old said this game was way better than real fishing. I agreed, and we spent the afternoon fishing in the living room.
