Hello Everyone!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
If there is one thing that I wish that I had done in my childhood was lots of fun crafts. Crafting was not a part of our school curriculum back then and I did not do anything crafty at home either.It was the same for most of the kids in my town, the crafting materials were not easily available and if it did it was pretty expensive. My parents did send me to a few art/craft summer camps but that wasn’t held out every year. Plus, there was no internet back then to search for craft ideas either. I did drawing/art/coloring (I was terrible at that:)) but that was all. My summer holidays mostly included running around the mango trees, paddy fields and hiking up the hills. While I am so thankful I was able to do those things as a child , I wish rainy days could have been less boring if I had done more of these fun crafts.
Well, things have changed now and the crafting supplies are so easily available. I am now enjoying the crafting time with my toddler. It’s therapeutic !! It’s a great way to bond with your child, talk to them, bring out their imagination and most important, have fun. I started very early with my daughter when she was close to two years old and I recommend the same for others too. Just keep a close watch on them 🙂
Today’s post is about what are those basic things you need to get started. You can grow your crafting kit as you go but these are a few things that can be used to make hundreds of adorable crafts.
1.Elmers school glue or any non-toxic glue
This is a must have in your kit. Try to use the safe/non-toxic kind of glue or you may use the home-made glue (I will be sharing a recipe for that one soon). My daughter is almost four and she now squeezes it out of the bottle but when she was younger I poured it into a plastic cup and gave her a popsicle stick to use as a spreader.
2.Construction paper (not pictured in the pic above)
Plain white sheets are good but if you can get these colorful set of paper it would be awesome.They come in different colors so, your kids can learn some decision making skills here 🙂 They are slightly thicker than the normal sheets which is very useful when it’s the toddler working with glue. A few options can be found here and here.
3.Washable paint
Things are going to get messy. So, it’s a no brainer to get washable paint. Kids love colorful things. Mixing paint can put them to work for quite a long time compared to the toddler attention span.It also helps them to focus. Using paint can be a great way to teach them colors and color mixing (as they grow older ). It’s fun to watch them being amazed when you first show how to mix colors. A painting brush can be used for easy painting.
4.Colorful Glitters
Need I say anything here? We need some sparkle touch to our great work now, don’t we? Glitters are a toddler’s best friend. While it’s fun to use and gives an amazing effect to your art/craft,it can get very hard to clean it up.A coffee tray or a newspaper can be placed underneath while using glitters.
5.Popsicle sticks
Popsicle sticks can be found in any craft stores.I have seen them at dollar tree and Michaels. There is a lot that you can do with these.
6.Sciccors
Did you know a child as young as 2 years old can start using the scissors? Does that sound crazy? I was terrified at the very thought of my then 2 year old holding a pair of scissors. When I told my mom about it she freaked out. It’s okay to give scissors to your toddler but DO NOT walk away from them when they are holding them or have scissors within reach. Watch them closely as they explore this new developmental task. Using scissors also enhances hand-eye coordination. It also helps their tiny hand muscles. In the beginning, some kids do get frustrated when they cannot cut anything right. Tell them it is okay and encourage them to keep practicing. At around 3.5 years of age, my daughter was able to cut construction papers almost in one stretch. Now, she cuts better than me. She can trace along any shape and loves cuttings pictures out of magazines.
7.Googly eyes (optional)
*Pay great attention if your are using these.
Googly eyes take your craft work to another level. Eyes are the first thing toddlers notice in a person and googly eyes on the art/craft makes it special. They also think it’s funny when that black eyeball inside moves around.
There are a few things you need to take care of if you are using these with young children.They are tiny and could be a choking hazard. They almost look like candy and some toddlers are so curious they like to put everything in their mouth. Only take out the exact amount of google eyes needed so, that way you will know there is nothing left around when your done with the craft. Keep out of reach of children when you are not around or not watching. Make sure to keep the finished product out of reach unless an adult is watching closely.The glued things may come off or the child might try to peel it off.
There are many more things that can be added to this kit but these are some basic things that you need. A few things that can be added are,
- felt cloth
- foam sheets
- stickers
- colorful pipe cleaners
- Different sized buttons
- Thin white paper plates
A few more things that can be used for crafts and most likely is already in your home are q-tips, cotton balls (perfect for making clouds), cupcake liners and so on.
Thank you for taking time to read this post ! Hope you find this helpful !