Easy Crafts For Your Toddler by Susanne Myers

 Keeping an inquisitive toddler entertained and stimulated isn't always an easy task. His curiosity will usually get him in all sorts of trouble as he is taking things apart to figure out how they work. A great way to keep him busy with something slightly less destructive is to make crafts with your toddler. Crafting is also a wonderful way to spend quality time with your child. Take a look at the craft ideas below, pick something and start making an easy craft with your toddler.

Paper Plate Mask
Who knew that plain paper plates could be so much fun? All you need are the plates themselves of course, some scissors, markers and some string. Start by holding the paper plate in front of your child's face and mark the spots for the eyes. Cut two holes for the eyes so your child will be able to see through the mask. Cutting a mouth opening is optional. Then let your child decorate the mask with markers or crayons. You can also have her cut shapes (think ears) out of construction paper and glue them on the paper plate mask. Tape or staple a piece of string to each site of the maskand use them to tie the finished mask around your child's head.

Collages
Here's another one of our favorite craft activities – a collage. You can make a collage with your toddler on just about any topic. Keep old magazines and even grocery flyers around and let your child cut items out of these papers. Then use a glue stick to glue them on a large sheet of paper or construction paper. Use markers, crayons and stickers to further embellish the collage. Don't forget to hang it up when you're done.

Macaroni Necklace
Macaroni aren't just good for making mac and cheese. They are also the building blocks of macaroni necklaces. All you need is a handful of uncooked macaroni noodles and a piece of string. Make a large knot in one end of the string, then let your child thread the noodles on the string. When she's done, just tie the two pieces of string together and the necklace is ready to be worn. You can also make a colorful necklace by painting the individual noodles with acrylic paint.

Crayon Suncatcher
If you have a toddler in the house, you are bound to have lots of small pieces of broken crayons as well. Here's a simple craft that will turn those crayon pieces and a little wax paper into a colorful suncatcher. Start by grading the crayon pieces with an old cheese grater, or shave them with a knife. Put each color into a small bowl or in a little pile. Then cut two round pieces out of wax paper. They should be the same size. Let your child sprinkle the crayon shavings on one of the pieces of wax paper. When she's done, cover it with the other piece of wax paper. Put an old towel on your ironing board and carefully transfer the wax paper crayon “sandwich” on the ironing board. Turn your iron on medium high (without steam). Add another towel on top of the wax paper and gently iron over it several times until the crayon shavings are melted. Allow your suncatcher to cool and hardenbefore you pick it up. Thread some yarn through it to hang it up in the window. You can also sew a button stitch all around the suncatcher with some yarn and a thick needle to make the suncatcher a little more stable.

Finger Paint
What child doesn't love to finger paint? Smearing paint with your fingers is just plain fun. You can use store-bought finger paint, or make your own by mixing condensed milk with a few drops of food coloring. This works just as well as commercial finger paint and is completely non-toxic. Don't forget to cover the “work area”with plenty of old newspapers to make cleanup a snap

Sock Puppets
Does your washer or dryer eat socks? Ours sure does and we end up with quite a few single socks whose counterparts have mysteriously gone missing. These socks are perfect for making sock puppets. All you need are two buttons for eyes and some scraps of fabric or felt and a little yarn. After that it will be up to your toddler's imagination to turn the sock into a puppet – with your help of course. Not only will you have a lot of fun making these sock puppets, you and your child will enjoy playing with the finished products just as much.

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 Painting opens up a world of colour and communication for children and is a wonderful way for them to create. There are many simple and exciting alternatives to using a paint brush.

String painting is easy and is a great way for children to pattern paint. You just wrap some string around a small wooden block (this could be a building block that your children play with). A square or rectangle shape is better, but make sure that it is big enough for the child to hold easily. To aid in your child's learning, it is best to have a variety of different sizes handy. Prepare some paint and pour it into some old polystyrene trays or any tray that you can afford to use for lots of painting activities. Dip the block into thepaint and press on the paper and you're done!

Marble painting is another way for children to have fun and also learn hand eye coordination whilst creating different patterns. Prepare some paint and put it in a container that has deep sides, such as an old baking tray or a shallow cardboard box. The top of a shoe box is an excellent example providing that it is still strong and intact. Put some paper in the bottom of the tray with a small amount of paint (you can use two or three different colours at a time). Drop a marble in the tray and let the children move the marble backwards and forwards, sideways etc. to create their own work of art.

Finger painting develops the child's sensory skills as they feel and touch the paint. Put some paint on an old table and let the children put their hands in it and make their own designs. If you donot have an old table that you can use, then you can always put some plastic on the table and this will suffice.

Please bear in mind that most paints are easily washed off surfaces and hands with hot soapy water but please check the instructions to be certain! Once the children have finished their painting, put a piece of paper on top and peel it off. Put it somewhere to dry and then they have a print of their art work to show to family and friends.

Here are some other quick tips and alternatives that your children may enjoy that can also be used for printing...

* Cotton bud painting can encourage children to paint in a different way, which develops finemotor skills.

* Cotton wool has a different feel and texture to it.

* Paint rollers are fun to use on large rectangular areas. So this would be ideal for example, if you are planning on painting a red cardboard bus.

* Cotton reels and corks can be used for pattern painting.

* Sponges cut into different shapes can be a great way to recycle and you can use both their rough and smooth sides in painting. Some examples ofshapes you can use are rectangles and circles and a diamond or star. You can also purchase sponge shapes from a good toy shop, or you can order them from educational supply magazines.

* Other ideas include the cardboard rolls inside household foil and plastic wrap, plastic forks or jar lids.

Just remember to let those creative juices flow.

Helen Thompson is a qualifiedchild care worker (Nursery Nurse) and Brain Gym® consultant who has spent many years working with children aged between 0 - 8 years. Her website at
http://www.ChildLearningSupport.com
includes recipes, craft activities and more.

Article Source: http://www.reprint-content.com
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