Crafts: From the Store
Paper Mache Maracas
Take a small balloon (water balloon size) and fill it with a handful of small beans or rice. Then, fill the balloon with air to create the base for the paper mache. You will also want to cut or tear many strips of newspaper before you make the paper mache paste. To create the paper mache paste, use 2 parts water to 1 part flour. (If you make ...(read more)
Make Your Own Soap
Making your own soap is a fun activity with the kids and can also make for great gifts. Note: It's a good idea to rub any toys you put into the soap with rubbing alcohol beforehand. Melt glycerin soap (found at any craft store) in a microwave safe bowl. Put a few drops of food coloring into the melted glycerin, if you want to make ...(read more)
'I Spy' Bottles
Remove the wrapper from a two-liter plastic bottle. Insert 5-10 'I Spy' trinkets (penny, marble, plastic figures, bottle cap, etc.). After inserting the trinkets, fill the bottle three-quarters of the way to the top with beans or rice. Tell your child how many 'I Spy' items are in the bottle. Your kids will delight in shaking and turning the bottle to find all the different things!(read more)
Paper Bag Pinatas
Give your child a small brown paper bag and let them decorate it how they want. This can be elaborately, with sequins and glitter, or simply, with crayons. Put a few pieces of candy in the bag and close by folding over the top. Punch two holes at the top and run enough yarn through the holes to be able to hang it from a high place and still ...(read more)
Sawdust Clay
Combine dry materials, and then add enough water to make the mixture moist. Mold into shapes using fingers and kitchen tools or silverware. Allow to dry. The shapes will become very hard. A great tactile activity! (read more)
Sticker Stories
Give your child several sheets of paper and some stickers. If you wish, you can cut the paper into shapes (example: hearts for Valentine's Day). Your child can then put the stickers (and draw, too) on the paper to 'write' his or her story. When done, your child can share the story with you. These are also fun mementos to hang on your child's bedroom ...(read more)
Tissue Paper Butterflies
Use an assortment of solid color tissue paper or patterned paper. Using half-sheets (or smaller, depending on the size of the butterfly you want to make), lay the number of sheets that you wish to use on top of one another. Then, bunch them up a little in the center. Using a green pipe cleaner for the center of the butterfly, twist the green pipe cleaner around the ...(read more)
Homemade Silly Putty
1. Combine glue and starch in a bowl and mix well. 2. Let dry until the putty is workable. 3. You may have to add a bit more glue or starch. (This may not work well on a humid day.) 4. Experiment! Try putting the silly putty on comic book art or newspaper/magazines. 5. Store in an airtight container for future fun.(read more)
Pompoms
Here is a great way to recycle old newspaper. Let your child tear one full page into 20 strips longways. Fold the strips in the middle and staple them together. Using a paint stir stick from your local home store, attach the newspaper bundle with masking tape. Your children can then decorate their pompoms with markers, glitter, etc. A cheap way to root for your ...(read more)
Cityscapes
Give children spools and pieces of wood and glue. Let them glue the wooden pieces onto a wooden board (the size of a game board). They will glue both tall towers and little neighborhoods. Older children might want to paint or decorate the pieces of wood before beginning. You will use lots of glue and have lots of fun! If you have an older child, you can ...(read more)
Fun & Fancy Pencil Holder
Begin by covering a clean, empty soup can with felt; be sure that the felt goes over the top edge, if it's sharp. Next, help your child to cut out fun shapes from different colors of felt. Glue the shapes on the can in any design, and finish off the project with ribbon at the top and bottom of the can. This turns out to be a beautiful pencil ...(read more)
Pipe Cleaner Peepers
Pipe cleaners (chenille stems) are handy to have on hand for a variety of projects. Your preschooler will have loads of fun designing their very own pair of unbreakable glasses with this activity. Use 3-4 pipe cleaners to make the 'glasses' and decorate with additional pipe cleaners. Add fuzzy flowers to the sides, or make squiggles coming off the top of the 'frames' by wrapping a ...(read more)
Spin Art Cards
Have your little one help create birthday and/or holiday cards using a spin art machine. Once your child has completed the spin art, they can then add their artistic touch by 'signing' or adding a personal message.(read more)
Making a Picture Frame
Cut out one rectangle-shaped piece of cardboard to at least 5" by 7". Cut out another frame-shaped piece of cardboard to the same dimensions. Staple three of the outer edges together so that a 4" by 6" photo can fit inside. Get out the glue, glitter, and paints, and let your little one decorate it. Put in a photo of the artist. This project makes ...(read more)
Bookmarking Basics
You can make really cute animal bookmarks by using foam shapes for animals found at a craft store or you can cut the shapes out yourself from larger pieces of foam. Begin with a small animal shape or animal face, and allow your child to decorate it with smaller pieces of foam, markers, and googly eyes. Glue a book-sized piece of ribbon to the back of the foam ...(read more)
Flower Pots
Your little ones can make flower pots using plastic flowers and flour, water, and food coloring. Mix the flour with the water and food coloring to make paste. Place the paste mixture into a plastic container (recycled food containers work great) to make the base for the flowers to stand in. Once the mixture begins to firm up, have your child place his or her "flowers" into ...(read more)
Sand Paper Playtime
Give your child a piece of sandpaper and some small wood scraps. Show her how to sand the wood, and talk about the difference between rough and well-sanded wood textures. For a more advanced activity, sanded scraps of wood can be glued together to create wood sculptures and painted or decorated with markers. To avoid splinters, you may want your child to wear gloves for this activity.(read more)
Create Your Own Puzzle
Have your child draw or paint a picture. Once the picture is done, glue the picture onto a piece of cardboard and then cut it into 'puzzle' pieces. Your child will delight in seeing his or her work of art turned into a puzzle and will have a ton of fun putting it back together. Or, if you have two children, you can have them create puzzles ...(read more)
Tissue Paper Flowers
Collect 5 or 6 pieces of different color tissue paper. Cut the paper stack into the shape of a long oval. Wrap a pipe-cleaner around the center of the stack and fold the pipe-cleaner down to create the 'stem' of the flower. Then fan out the various layers of tissue paper and fluff them up to create the 'petals'. You can make an ...(read more)
Finger Puppets
Draw different pictures of people on a piece of paper. Make them about 6" high. Have your child color them, then cut them out (with your help if necessary). Poke holes in the tops of the legs - make them large enough to fit your fingers. Then slip your fingers into the holes from the back of the figures, and voila! Your "puppets" now have ...(read more)
Pirate Treasure Map
This activity is a ton of fun -- both indoors and out! Begin by tearing the edges of the construction paper to give it rough edges. Then, crumple the paper into a ball so that it is creased. Flatten the paper, and dip it in warm water. Put the wet paper on draining board or across a strainer and sprinkle a spoonful of coffee granules over it. Leave ...(read more)
Water Bottles Decorations
Before your next backyard party, have your older kids help you with this fun activity -- or set it up as a beginning-of-party craft. Take a small ponytail holder and pull it so that it is like a line. Slide a few beads onto it from one end so that the beads are in the middle of the ponytail holder with both sides of the ponytail ...(read more)
Sandcasting
This is a great activity and could be done at the beach -- you'll just need to include at least 30 minutes in your time for everything to harden and make sure you have access to fresh water! Dig a hole about 12 inches square and about 6 inches deep in the sand. Wet the sides of the hole well. Press objects in the sides and bottom ...(read more)
Popsicle Stick Picture Frame
This is a cute way to dress up a basic popsicle stick frame. To make the frame, start by gluing popsicle sticks (or larger tongue depressors) together. Two popsicle sticks for each side makes a cute small square frame. Lay two popsicle sticks down for both the top and the bottom, then glue two popsicle sticks on each side to make a square. Allow to dry, ...(read more)
Creating Your Own Bookmarks
Make your own bookmarks using card stock. Cut a sheet of card stock into rectangles. Have your child color or paint them. You can also cut out shapes to glue to the bookmark or glue on small leaves. Then cover the bookmark with clear contact paper. The bookmarks make great gifts and also are great for kids who are starting to read chapter books.(read more)
Tissue Paper Rainbow
Start with a piece of white paper - - a small one to fit on the refrigerator, or a larger one to decorate your child's bedroom wall or playroom. With a pencil, trace out the curved lines of a rainbow, leaving plenty of space to fill in the colors with tissue paper. Cut or tear up small pieces of tissue paper, wad them up, and glue them onto the rainbow ...(read more)
Button Christmas Tree
This project makes a really fun ornament or fridge magnet! Using popsicle sticks (plain or pre-colored), make a tree by gluing two full-length sticks in a cross shape. Then cut another stick into a 1/3 and 2/3 length for the graduated middle and top branch of the "tree". Search through some old buttons or buy some from the craft store. Use a 4,3,2,1 pattern to put ...(read more)
Creative Gift Wrapping
Have your little one help wrapping presents using their painted pictures as the gift wrap!(read more)
Suncatchers
1. Cut some colored tissue paper into small squares (or other shapes), about 1 x 1 inch. 2. Cut two squares (size is up to you) of clear contact paper. 3. Place one square of contact paper sticky side up on a table. 4. Allow your child to drop, place, pat or throw the tissue paper onto the contact paper. 5. Take ...(read more)
Make Your Own Candle Holders
A really fun colorful activity is to make your own candle holders. You'll need baby food jars, colored sand, aluminum foil, and short tapered candles. Put different colored sand into small measuring cups that the kids can pour. Have the kids pour in one color at a time so they get a layered effect. Cut a small piece of foil in a circle a little bigger ...(read more)
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