A stuffed friend can make all the difference if your child feels anxious about school, or needs an extra snuggle at naptime. And when your child has a hand in making that stuffed friend, things are even better!

I am no sewer, so this craft was entirely new territory for me, requiring a sheet of cotton canvas from the craft store. First I asked Travis what shape he’d like his comforting keepsakes to be. The first was a small car, which we made small enough to fit in his school backpack. Then we traced a larger free-form shape for naptime, sort of like a cloud, but mostly abstract.

Cut out your designs (you’ll need two of each, to be the front and back of the stuffie), and paint with fabric paint. This was a fun chance to use our paint roller! Let dry completely.

You can decorate the keepsakes further before sewing and stuffing. Try gluing on pieces of felt, or coloring with fabric markers. Travis opted for the latter.

Next it was time to stuff and sew! This meant a special trip to visit grandma and her sewing machine – Travis was ecstatic seeing the machine in action.

At home, we finished the keepsakes with stuffing; Travis loved helping poke it into the furthest corners.

He was so proud to set his naptime keepsake on his bed.

Lastly we tucked the small car stuffie in his backpack, just in case he needs to give it a special squeeze at school.