Folding, painting, cutting out: crafting not only promotes creativity, but also fine motor skills. Small children between the ages of 3 and 4 especially love to give free rein to their imagination and make colorful decorations with the help of their parents. Crafting is the perfect leisure activity for rainy weekends and helps combat boredom at home. Especially in spring there are many ideas that are inspired by nature. When small children make animals or birds, they learn more about nature and the animal world. We offer you nice ideas with which you can keep children between 3 and 4 years busy.
Making birds with small children: cut out motifs from craft cardboard
Cutting out different motifs promotes thisDexterity of small childrenand, accordingly, fine motor skills, which drive language development from the age of two. It is definitely a skill that needs to be learned and practiced, and not one that people automatically master. Cutting not only strengthens your muscles, but also trains your core skills. This includes so-called logical thinking, in which children learn that an activity has certain consequences.
Children who cut out specific motifs learn to focus on a task for a specific period of time. Just cutting them out is a lot of fun for them. It becomes even more exciting when the individual parts are put together and the children can admire the end result.The first craft instructionsthat we offer you is therefore uncomplicated. The goal: The children should learn to cut out different shapes and glue them on. You need the following materials and accessories:
- White cardboard
- Craft cardboard with different patterns (dots, checkered patterns, flowers, etc.)
- Two clothespins
- 2 googly eyes
- Colored paper, yellow or yellow paint pen
- Scissors
- Zigzag scissors (optional)
- adhesive
To do this, parents first create a template that consists of several parts: cloud-shaped wings, a circle for the bird's body and a semicircle for decoration. The parents cut out the individual parts from white cardboard and make these templates available to the children. Then the little ones can do it under the supervision of their parentsstart crafting. First transfer the motifs onto craft cardboard, then cut them out and finally put the motif together. Cut out the beak from yellow colored paper with zigzag scissors and glue it in place.
Making birds with small children: cutting out handprints
The next craft idea trains skills and logical thinking and gives children's imagination free rein when crafting. It is also a nice gift for grandparents or for Mother's Day. Thin cardboard is best suited for cutting out complicated motifs. On the one hand, it should be easy to cut and, on the other hand, it should be thicker than paper. Because children's inexperienced hands can easily bend construction paper.
And you need these materials to make the birds out of cardboard. First, put the children's handprint on orange cardboard and cut it out. Then from threeWooden popsicle sticksform a triangle. Cut out a triangle from cardboard with dotted patterns and glue it to the popsicle sticks. Cut out the beak from the orange cardboard. Glue on the wiggly eyes and use small clothespins as feet.
We offer you another, much simpler idea for birds made of clothespins. Have the children paint three wooden clothespins each one color. Cut out the beak and feet from orange cardboard. Glue googly eyes and feathers in place. These funny birds, for example, do amDesk in the children's rooma good figure and ensure a happy mood. You can also stick magnets to the back of the clothespin and use the birds as refrigerator magnets. The clothespins can, for example, display children's drawings or hold shopping lists. Of course, you can also create a unique garland for the children's room using clotheslines and clothespins. And they are also ideal as party favors for Easter or Mother's Day. If you are celebrating a children's birthday in spring or summer, you can also use the colorful birds made of clothespins as place cards at the children's table. You just need to write the child's name on the clothespin with a paint pen.
Making birds with small children: folding figures
Origami art is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. Bending and folding is a great way for children to create uncomplicated origami figures. But before small children try it, they should master certain folding techniques. The next craft idea is pretty simple, can be done even by three-year-olds and is the perfect introduction to the world of origami. The birds are not made according to the origami rules (just folding, no gluing), but the little ones can practice the simplest folding techniques in a playful way.
For these colorful birds you will need the following materials: 1 cupcake paper case in green and 2 more cases in blue, glue, googly eyes and a clothespin. This is how the paper birds are made: Lay the green mold flat on the work surface and fold it in half. Also lay down the first blue mold and fold it in four. Fold the second muffin cup in two. Then put the bird figure together from the three shapes (see photo above) and glue the three elements in place. Glue the clothespin to the back of the paper bird and attach the eyes. Cut out the beak from the blue cupcake case and glue it in place.
Make a 3D greeting card with paper birds
Another instruction that incorporates the simplest folding techniques. Make a 3D greeting card with paper birds together with the children. Parents have to actively help here, because there are certain steps in the instructions that require more skill. Otherwise, the children do most of the crafting on their own. It's also a cool idea for families with multiple children because the older children can help the little ones with the gluing. You can send the finished greeting cards to your grandparents. You will definitely be happy. You can also use the greeting cards as wall decoration for the children's room.
This is how the colorful birds are made: Cut out four equal-sized circles from cardboard. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to use a motif punch. Cut out another circle for the bird's head and a tulip-shaped detail for the tail. You still need 5-6 sheets of green cardboard and a rectangle with the following dimensions: 8 cm wide and 16 cm long. Fold the circles in half and glue them together. Position the bird figure in the middle of the greeting card and assemble it by gluing the individual elements in place. You can attach a wiggly eye to the bird's head or the children can draw the eye with crayons. Glue a tree branch under the bird figure and arrange the paper leaves. At the end you can paint individual details such as clouds.
Painting a bouquet with a fork and watercolors: This is how the children learn to mix the colors
With the next craft idea, small children can gain their first insight into color theory, learn to distinguish between the basic colors and practice mixing them. The craft idea is the perfect introduction to painting as it requires no special skills and is a lot of fun at the same time. This cute bouquet is guaranteed to win the hearts of children. You need the following materials:
- A sheet of paper or white cardboard
- Beak made of orange cardboard
- Googly eyes or eyes made of white and black cardboard
- Discolored
- Gabel
Together with the children, dilute the paints with water or prepare a glass of water and a flat brush. Draw a circle for the head and a rectangle for the neck. Then have the children color the circle and rectangle however they want. Mix the primary colors red, blue and yellow to get other colors. Before the colors on the paper dry completely, the children can paint the feathers with a fork.
Children who like mixing colors will definitely like the next craft instructions. These cute bird figures can be painted as desired and decorated with feathers. You need strips of cardboard for the tail, white cardboard for the body, colorful feathers and googly eyes from the craft shop and of course watercolors or paint pens. Cut a circle with a diameter of 15 cm from the white cardboard. Assign the children the task of painting the body of the bird. Mix colors or experiment with painting techniques. Optionally, you can purchase crayons and teach the child how to hold them correctly. Small children hold pencils in their fists, but their hands quickly get tired. In order to be able to draw details, they should learn the so-called three-point grip. The pen is held with two fingers and rests on the middle finger, which serves as a support. While this grip is better for painting and drawing fine lines, it can prove to be quite challenging for small children. That's why he wants to be practiced diligently.
Four year old childrencan learn to draw precisely with the next craft idea. You will need feathers, craft cardboard, plastic cups, googly eyes, watercolors and crayons. Have the children paint the plastic cup first. Then you can assign the children the task of drawing the bird's feathers. Feathers are then glued onto it.
Making birds with small children: practicing using glue
The next craft instructions are based on the basic principles of the popular napkin technique. This way you can make birds with small children and practice using glue correctly. You will need: Three wooden popsicle sticks, two colors of cardboard, for example orange and pink, blue and purple, etc., black cardboard for the bird feathers on the head and the bird's feet, googly eyes, and scraps of crepe paper to put in first need to cut small squares. You'll still need glue like Mod Podge and a flat brush.
This is how the bird is made: First make a template for the wings and then transfer it to cardboard. Cut out the wings and glue them together (see photo above). Form a triangle with the three popsicle sticks and glue the ends together. Glue the triangle to the wings. Then cover with the leftover crepe paper and brush generously with glue. Let dry and glue the beak and eyes in place. At the end, cut out the feet and the feathers on the head from black cardboard and attach them.
Making birds out of popsicle sticks: DIY ideas for toddlers between 3 and 4 years old
The next craft idea will practice using different materials. Wooden popsicle sticks are glued together to form the bird's body. The children can paint them as they wish or leave them untreated. The feathers can be made from real feathers, paper or pipe cleaners. Parents can also help with cutting out small details such as feet and beak.
If you want to practice core skills with small children that promote language development, creativity and concentration, then you can make birds together with the children. The bird figures can be made without much effort and made from different materials and decorated as desired. At the same time, the colorful bird figures create a happy atmosphere in the house. Perfect for spring.
Most children between the ages of three and four can easily master tasks such as gluing, cutting and folding. What is particularly important is that parents choose suitable craft instructions. The best craft ideas are those that take the children a maximum of half an hour to complete. It is also important that after this time there is an end result that the little ones can proudly display.
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