For toddlers, playing is the main thing. They do what they enjoy most and like it when they are played with. Crafting has a positive influence on the development of the little heroes and helps children to develop their own skills. As a result, the intellectual possibilities develop and the children become self-confident. In this article we offer you simple ideas for crafts with small children. Our suggestions are only intended as suggestions, because every child is different and has their own preferences.
What can you do crafts with with small children?
When doing crafts with small children, you can always focus on your child's interests and level of development. The child themselves will show you what they find exciting and what they like to do at the moment. Most of the time, household or everyday objects are much more interesting for little explorers than expensive toys. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 are fascinated by, among other things, pots, mixing spoons and boxes with contents to put in and out. They also love playing with egg cartons, which are actually great craft materials.
Creative ideas with inexpensive craft materials
Make a caterpillar out of egg cartons or paper rings
Beautiful works of art, like the cute caterpillar in the picture above, are created from empty egg cartons. If you want to make the hungry caterpillar, have your child paint the egg compartments with paint and give the animal a face. Don't forget that when doing crafts with small children, it's not about the perfect results, but about the variety that crafting offers. It is also about the small children developing their fine motor skills and freely expressing their own creativity.
Even if smaller children still need your help while cutting, they will be amazed by this cute caterpillar. Once you have cut out the paper strips, the children can participate in closing the strips into rings and forming a chain. This activity promotes fine motor skills and you can play with the cute animal. Now your child knows who eats their way through the fruit and becomes a beautiful butterfly. You can also make a caterpillar out of paper circles, toilet paper rolls or using the accordion folding technique.
Create chicks with tissue paper and handprints
Your children can create numerous figures using scraps of paper. For the cute chick you will need a paper circle and tissue paper. Children are allowed to let off steam and tear up the transparent paper to their heart's content and distribute and stick the scraps of paper on the circle. You can make the feather of the chicks from colored paper with handprints. The children are already excited about how you outline the little hands with the pencil. The children can then color the handprint with pencils.
Insects from toilet rolls
Making handprints is great fun even for the little ones. They enjoy dipping their hands in finger paint and leaving prints on a piece of paper. For example, handprints in different colors can create beautiful wings for butterflies. Have your child color an empty toilet paper roll and glue on the googly eyes. You can make the feelers either out of flexible plush or out of paper. A simple and great craft idea for spring!
A nice craft idea for the summer is this cute oneBee made from toilet paper roll. Cut the strips for the bee's body out of yellow and black paper and help your child stick the rolls in the correct order. Your child can also give the bee a face. Children can have fun and decorate the bee's wings with felt-tip pens, paint or glitter. Eyes, wings and antennae are also glued to the bee's body.
Finger puppets
Fingers and hand puppets are very popular with children big and small. Another great craft idea is to make little finger puppets out of construction paper. Your child will love the little figures that can either be put on their fingers or threaded onto their hand so that the fingers are the animal's legs. Using construction paper and two circles that you glue together and punch two holes, you can create lots of animal figures and provide exciting hours of puppet theater.
Bunnies made from paper plates
If you want to do Easter crafts with your child, you can make a cute Easter bunny out of paper plates. Even if you don't have any craft supplies at home, the paper plates can be turned into beautiful pieces of art, either by gluing them on or painting them. Children can make the whiskers out of pipe cleaners or draw them with a pen. You will get interesting and creative results if you have the bunny ears made from your child's footprints on colorful paper.
Sweet sheep
Toddlers like the farm visits and are more than enthusiastic about the animals there. You can make a rooster, a pink piggy, a cow or these cute sheep out of paper plates. Cut a semicircle out of the paper plate and have your child stick small balls of wool or cotton wool onto it. Clothes pegs are ideal for little legs and also provide the animal figures with the necessary stability.
Make a clown with paper plates and colorful pompoms
On special occasions and celebrations, such as carnival, you can do crafts with your loved ones and enjoy the colorful carnival season. A clown is a nice craft idea, especially in foolish times. The clown figure is funny, colorful and laughs at the children. Conjure up a cute clown with your child using a paper plate and colorful pompoms that the child can choose and stick on. You will be surprised at how creative little children can be.
Make water features with small children in the summer
What could be nicer for children than splashing and splashing in the water on hot summer days. You are welcome to make small boats with the kids and then let them sail in the stream. Use straws or a wooden skewer, paper and a pool noodle that you cut to the desired size. Great boats can also be made from plastic packaging, corks and cans. The water fun can definitely be increased with these great, self-made boats.
DIY Musikinstrumente
Toddlers love noise games. They like to rustle paper and drum on various objects with a wooden spoon. Making music gives you great joy and develops your sense of rhythm. Fun is guaranteed when you make different musical instruments with great sound at home. You can easily make a kazoo out of an empty toilet paper or kitchen roll with which the children can conjure up great sounds. First make a small hole in the wall of the cardboard tube. Children are welcome to choose the design of the musical instrument and paint or glue the roll. Stretch greaseproof paper over the cardboard roll and secure it with a rubber band.
Another musical instrument that is very easy to imitate are the colorful rattles in the picture. Remove the yellow plastic packaging from the surprise eggs and fill it with sand or grains of rice. Place the yellow egg between two plastic spoons and wrap it tightly with tape. Also attach the spoons to each other. You are welcome to fill several rattles with different materials so that your child gets to know different sounds.
Creative painting techniques for toddlers
With aluminum foil
Painting is not only great fun for children, it also develops their fine motor skills and expands their creative horizons. Get finger paints and have your child dip their fingers in the paint and smear it on a piece of paper. There are many fun and great painting techniques that your children can use to create great pictures. For example, children can paint a paper stencil using paint and aluminum foil. The aluminum foil acts as a kind of stamp and gives the image nice texture.
Create pictures with glass marbles
An exciting activity for small children is painting with glass marbles, which creates unique pictures. For this fun activity, you'll need some glass marbles, watercolors or finger paints, and a shoebox lid. Place the marbles in small containers and add some color. Have your child stir the paint to cover the surface of the marble with paint. Place a sheet of paper in the lid.
Remove the marble from the paint and place it on the paper. Now your child can simply move the lid back and forth. The glass marbles roll and leave colored traces. If there are no longer any traces to be seen, you can dip the marbles back into paint. You are welcome to mix several colors to create colorful mulmelbahn streets. You are also welcome to use ready-made stencils and apply the color directly to the sheet.
Make stamps with pompoms, corks and toilet paper rolls
A great craft idea that little children will enjoy are the small stamps made from clothespins and pompoms. The clothespin serves as a handle and the children can easily dip the pompoms in paint and start stamping. The youngest children probably won't create concrete images, but the blobs of color are unique because of their shape and color.
Children aged 1 year and over can also stamp with corks. Place some Fabkleks on a paper plate. The child can put their cork stamp in the desired color and stamp it on the sheet. Older children can even stamp specific images, although pre-drawn outlines can be very helpful.
A single stamp for unique images is the toilet paper roll. Cut several rays into the roll and let your little ones get creative. Your child will feel proud and recognized when you hang their artwork at home and then store it in a binder.
