Category: Arts & Crafts

Glue Dots and Buttons

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Glue Dots and Buttons (6)

Veronika seems to enjoy art projects best when I squeeze out the dots of glue ahead of time and then she gets to press down materials on each little white blob. So today, with no other agenda or other final product in mind, that’s exactly what she got to do!

To set up, I used a piece of black construction paper as the background so that the white dots would show up clearly, and simply dotted all over it with glue. I set out a plate of buttons, pom poms, and dried beans for her. Anything else easy to glue down would be great in the mix, too.

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Veronika immediately began adding buttons, and wanted to name the color of each as she pressed down.

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For fun, I made some of the glue dots in a representation of other things, like a smiley face. She was delighted as soon as she saw what we’d made.

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She didn’t want to add any of the pom poms, but enjoyed pressing down the dried beans, too.

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This was a simple activity for fine motor skills, and would work well as a busy activity for preschoolers who can even make the glue dots by themselves.

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Chinese Paper Dragons

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Chinese New Years won’t technically fall until February 12, 2021, but these dragon puppets still felt fun to make as we made the transition to 2021 as festive as possible!

To make each dragon, I first cut sheets of construction paper in half vertically, then glued them together into one extra long strip. You’ll need two pieces like this for each dragon; Travis chose black and blue and Veronika chose black and purple.

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I wouldn’t normally recommend using hot glue on paper, but in this case it was the most secure way to glue one strip to the other, perpendicular to each other. Fold up accordion-style.

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We then cut extra sheets of construction paper to be the heads and tails (rounding the heads slightly and cutting the tails into a triangle point). Use hot glue to add to either end of the body.

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Just a few final touches were needed now! Veronika helped glue feathers and bright buttons onto each face, and we added additional features with marker.

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Our dragons were ready to rock and roar.

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We’re looking forward to the upcoming Year of the Ox!

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Party Creatures

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Good bye to 2020; I don’t think anyone is going to miss it! We wanted to launch into the new year with the prettiest party possible from home, so put together these fun confetti poppers!

To start, knot a balloon and then snip off a bit of the end opposite the knot. Fit the balloon over an empty toilet paper roll and secure with duct tape.

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Next, we chose a pretty patterned paper to cover each roll. After that, each tube needed some silly adornments! We glued wiggle eyes onto pom poms, which were then added to each tube along with twisted sparkly chenille stems.

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These creatures were ready to party! Your kids might even want to name them. Popping Pat? Confetti Carly? Anything alliterative and silly fits the bill.

For confetti, Travis used a hole punch to make circles from sparkly construction paper (or cardstock would work, too). This was a neat homemade twist on confetti but took lots of effort, so we also added a few packs of sequins from the store.

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Now set the creatures aside until it’s time to count down to midnight! After that, the kids helped fill up each tube with the confetti.

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Pull back on the knot of the balloon to launch. Five, four, three, two, one: Happy New Year!

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We are wishing a very happy and healthy 2021 to all.

Clothespin Puppets

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It’s that time of the month when we’re emptying out the craft bin before stocking up for the month ahead, and I love projects like this that use up all the bits and bobs! Since Travis learned about puppets this month, we made one last simple type: clothespin puppets!

We wanted to decorate the body of the clothespin, but didn’t want to wait for paint to dry. The perfect solution? Strips of decorative washi tape.

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Once the tape was in place, we could decorate them in any way. Most of them received wiggle eyes, and we also glued down feathers, beads, pom poms, and more.

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All the kids had to do was pinch the clothespins to make the “mouth” of each little creature talk.

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These cute puppets are sure to make their way into all sorts of imaginative games.

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Butterfly Hand Puppet

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We’ve been having fun with puppets lately, and here’s a neat one that kids can wear right on their hands!

I had a few fabric swatches in different prints, so cut out circles for a blue butterfly and a rather whimsical pineapple one. Insert this circle of fabric into a clothespin. Ideally I would have used a peg clothespin, but a spring-type clothespin worked in a pinch (with a little hot glue for security).

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I then wrapped a pipe cleaner around the tip of each clothespin as the antennae.

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Now to get it onto the kids’ hands! Using some old exfoliating gloves from the drugstore, I hot glued one “butterfly” onto each glove.

Veronika loved fluttering hers around!

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Travis’s very quickly became a flying dragon involved in make-believe games rather than a butterfly, but that worked just as well! Either way, these puppets were simple but fun to make.

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Kwanzaa Decorations

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Travis learned about winter festivals of lights in school this month, including those we don’t celebrate like Diwali and Kwanzaa. I thought it would be fun for Veronika to jump in on the lesson, and the most age-appropriate way to do so for a toddler is to introduce a holiday’s colors or themes. These two easy Kwanzaa decorations fit the bill.

For the first, I cut shapes from black construction paper. For extra sparkle, we used construction paper that already had glitter on it, which Veronika loved! She helped dot glue all over the paper.

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Next, we ripped up tissue paper in traditional Kwanzaa colors of green and red, and I showed her how to stick these onto the glue.

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Once the glue dries, punch a hole in the top of each shape and hang up for a sparkly decoration. If your family celebrates the holiday, these would be perfect to give as gifts, too, since handmade gifts are another Kwanzaa tradition.

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When she saw the shapes dangling, Veronika was thrilled. “It’s the shapes! Look at the circle! And the rectangle!”

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For the second craft, we once again used the traditional Kwanzaa colors, but this time to make a paper chain garland. I cut strips of red, green, and black construction paper, then looped a red piece into a circle and taped it shut. (Note: You can also staple or use glue for this step).

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I showed Veronika how to thread a second strip through the first, and loop that one into a circle. She loved helping with this step.

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For an early pattern lesson, I helped her arrange them in order: red, green, black, repeat! She named all the colors as we worked, and loved that we were making circles.

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She also was a big helper with the tape!

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Make as many of these garlands as your family likes, and hang up as decoration!

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Happy Kwanzaa to those who celebrate!

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Corn Husk Dolls

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All you need to make these adorable dolls is a package of corn husks from the international aisle of the supermarket. They’re easy to make and turn out so cute!

To start, Travis helped layer four husks for each doll. Secure near the top with a rubber band.

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Now fold the husks over so they hide this first rubber band. Attach a second rubber band near the top, so the doll is now divided into a head and a skirt.

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For the arms, the kids helped roll up one husk tightly. Secure with three rubber bands: one in the middle and one near either end to form two “hands”.

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Slot this arm piece up the middle of the doll’s body. Add a final rubber band under the arms, delineating where the waist would be.

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Time to decorate! Veronika loved coloring a rainbow shirt on hers, while I drew eyes and a mouth on the face.

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Travis turned his into Baby Yoda with some green marker and black eyes! The dolls were soon involved in inventive games for the kids, meaning this project was fun both as a craft and for the imagination.

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Tabletop Christmas Tree

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Tabletop Christmas Tree (9)

This easy toddler project makes the perfect centerpiece for a holiday table! The little tree is just the right size if you find your family gathering is smaller this year due to COVID-19.

To start, I printed out a Christmas tree template from Hands on As We Grow. Trace the tree shape onto two pieces of cardboard, then cut out from the cardboard. I wasn’t in the mood to wrestle with thick cardboard so used an old cereal box instead. In retrospect, it might have been worth using the thicker kind, since thin cardboard wasn’t entirely sturdy standing up. It also meant we had to paint over the printing on the cereal box.

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Luckily, green paint hid most of the cereal box writing! Veronika helped apply two thick coats of sparkly green paint to both sides of the tree shapes and we set them aside to dry.

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Next, cut slits in the two trees so they can slot together. That means you’ll need to make a slit in the center top of one tree and in the center bottom of the other. Slot together until they sit flush against a tabletop.

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Time to decorate! Veronika helped add lots of white glue, and then we stuck on red and green pom poms and beads.

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Any other holiday items from your craft bin would work great here, too, like holiday stickers or ribbon.

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We think this makes the perfect little Christmas tree.

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Puffy Snowmen with Shaving Cream and Glue

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I’ve been on a hunt this winter season to find the best toddler snowman project, whether stamping it with marshmallows, turning it into a melted snowman, and more. In this version, the snowman shape isn’t cut out until the end, meaning your toddler can simply have fun with painting on a more sensory level.

First, we needed to make puffy paint, which is fast becoming a favorite around here. I squirted equal parts white glue and shaving cream onto a paper plate and Veronika helped mix it all up with a paintbrush.

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She began to smear it thickly over a sheet of white craft paper. I encouraged her to use all her senses for this particular paint. The shaving cream mixture smells fresh and soapy and has a wonderful goopy texture.

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I encouraged her to make a handprint…

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…which led to gleefully squeezing the mixture between her hands. We had a quick hand wash and then finished covering the white paper with the puffy paint.

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Once dry, I taped a snowman template onto the back of the paper and cut out. Be careful as you cut not to squeeze the puffy paint mixture, or it may flake off.

The snowmen looked so cute in the window, and almost like they were covered with real bits of snow!

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Crazy Bird Puppets

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If a cold winter afternoon is driving your kids a bit stir-crazy, then make crazy puppets with all that energy. Crazy bird puppets that is!

To start, paint paper plates with any colors your kids want. You’ll need two and half plates per bird, but we just went crazy (of course!) and painted more than we needed, ending up with about 7 or 8 plates.

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Veronika really wanted to help, too, and loved mixing colors and alternating between large- and small-bristled brushes.

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I needed some place to let all those plates dry. Ideally I would have had some place to hang them from clothespins, but I settled for laying them down on top of scrap paper in the bathtub. Once dry, we folded two plates in half and then stapled together. Place the half plate underneath the bottom one and staple on.

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Now, your hands can insert between the two full-sized plates so you can work the “beak” of the bird to make it look like he’s cackling and cawing and talking. Travis helped glue on feathers and pom poms for decoration, and then these birds looked even crazier.

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Put a sock on your wrist and you’ll even have the illusion of colorful neck feathers as you make the bird’s beak move.

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Here’s hoping you have a crazy good time with these puppets.