I got crafty for Veronika today! This pom-pom was sort of a labor of love, but if that definition doesn’t fit our children, what does?

Trace a large circle (about 8 inches across) on paper. Add a smaller circle (about 2 to 4 inches across) in the middle. Cut out this template and trace onto two pieces of cardboard.

A thin cardboard works best, like an empty cereal box or frozen pizza box.

Place the two cardboard pieces together, and begin wrapping around with yarn.

You can use only one color, but I liked a two-tone look, alternating layers of yellow and green. For a nice thick pom-pom, wrap in about four layers. Veronika couldn’t wait to get her hands on this thing!

Insert scissors through the yarn to the gap between the two cardboard pieces, and begin snipping the yarn in half.

Insert another piece of yarn right into the middle and pull tightly – you now have a ball! Tie that yarn securely.

Before I talk about playtime, I want to mention how fun it was to make this next to Veronika. I worked for about an hour as she played with toys and cooed next to me.

Especially if you are a first-time-parent, activities like this can help fill those hours or days with a baby that might otherwise seem endless. This one engages baby and caregvier both!

Now it was playtime, and as you can see from Veronika’s face, the pom-pom is quite simply a delight!

We tossed it in the air, or used it to hone her grasping skills.

We tickled her toes with it.

She played cheerleader as she watched big brother play.

She basically just had a ball! Do supervise closely, since the homemade nature of this pom-pom means strands of yarn might come lose and pose a choking hazard.