This magnetic Mr. Potato Head printable may interest you because you remember your Mr Potato Head toys from when you were younger. Or maybe your child likes the characters (Mrs Potato Head too) from the movie Toy Story. Either way, this activity is a great idea for young children and is a fun way to develop vocabulary.
Vocabulary Development
As you play and refer to the Mr Potato Head you are using:
- positional words (on top, below, middle, on the side, right, and left)
- names of body parts (arms, legs, eyes, etc.)
- transitional words (first, next, then, finally, last)
- color words
- five senses vocabulary
How to Prepare using Magnetic Paper
You can print the Mr. Potato Head body parts printables directly onto magnetic paper.
Pros
- The pieces can stick to each other.
- No need to laminate.
- Durable
Cons
- Magnetic paper can be pricey.
- It is a little bit harder for smaller fingers to peel it from magnetic surfaces.
How to Prepare using Card Stock
Print the magnetic Mr. Potato Head onto card stock. Cut it out, laminate (optional), and put adhesive magnets onto the back of each piece.
Pros
- Cheaper option
- Easier for smaller fingers to pick them up from magnetic surfaces.
Cons
- Magnets can come off of the pieces so it is less durable. If you choose this option, watch your kids with the magnets to make sure they don’t go in their mouth.
Make a Mr. Potato Head Felt Set
- Print the pieces onto card stock.
- Cut them out.
- Glue a felt square onto each paper piece.
- Now they are ready for your felt board.
Make a Travel Activity
This is a fun activity to bring in the car. Simply buy a magnetic cookie sheet from the dollar store and put your pieces on it.
Cut and Paste Activity
- Print it onto regular paper.
- Challenge your child to cut out the pieces.
- Use a piece of construction paper as the base of the craft.
- Arrange the pieces and glue them on.
Download and Print the Mr. Potato Head
Download and Print the Mr. Potato Head Accessories
Other Ideas:
- Make your own pieces to add to the potato head.
- Write a story about him and Mrs. Potato Head.
- Mr. Potato Head Coloring Pages HERE
- Use play dough as the base to push the accessories into.
- Get silly! Put the hands on the bottom as legs and the eyes as the nose.
- Design a few potato heads and take pictures of them to make a book. Challenge your child to copy the designs in the book. This is great for visual discrimination and attention to detail.
- Turn this activity into a dice game by making a chart. Roll a 1 to add a nose, 2 to add eyes, 3 to add arms, etc.
- Play “What’s Missing?”. Design a potato head with your child. Then, have them close their eyes as you take away a piece. When they open their eyes, have them guess which piece is missing. This game develops critical thinking skills.
- Sort with the pieces – group the legs together, arms, noses, etc.
- Build a Mr. Potato head in the bath tub. Cut simple shaped pieces out of craft foam and use them in the bath tub. They float and when they are wet they stick to the side of the tub and to each other.
History of Mr. Potato Head
In 1949, George Lerner came up with the idea for Mr. Potato Head. However, the idea wasn’t the same as it is today. His original idea was that the accessories would be pushed into a regular potato or vegetable. Because it seemed like a waste of food, the idea didn’t catch on. A cereal company bought the idea and then upon hearing about it, a toy company (Hasbro) bought the rights to it. I bet they are glad they did! After premiering a television commercial, they made $1 million in the first year.
In 1964, Hasbro changed the base of the toy from a styrofoam piece or real potato to the plastic one. Parents were glad because they kept finding molding potatoes and the pins on the ends of the pieces weren’t necessarily safe for all children. This classic toy has entertained children for so many years. Of course they have had to make a few more changes along the way such as getting rid of his pipe that he could smoke. There have been different themed characters made along the way too. Older potato head toys are now reselling for hundreds of dollars or you can pass them on to your children.
8 Comments
This is great ….thanks!
March 4, 2011 at 6:43 pmWOW…this is an amazing site!! I can’t wait to explore it more; just glancing through, I’ve already found things I want to use in therapy with my kids–this printable magnetic potato head being one of them. Cool beans.
March 7, 2011 at 4:08 amHow can I print the Mr. Potato Head and make it magnetic?
August 20, 2012 at 12:46 pmYou can print it on magnetic paper (probably your best option) or you can print, laminate, and put magnets (the kind that have 1 sticky side) on each piece.
August 20, 2012 at 12:58 pmThe links aren’t valid for either of the potato head downloads 🙁
March 20, 2015 at 1:57 amThank you so much for letting me know! The links have been updated. =)
March 20, 2015 at 8:41 pmLink for the Mr. Potato game isn’t working
November 23, 2015 at 1:07 pmIt is working. The Mr. Potato game is found in their “My Body” Unit that you can download on their site.
November 23, 2015 at 2:35 pm