7 Craft Ideas for Little Kids ...

Photo Credit: hale_popoki

Making jewelry is easy for little kids to do. For this project, you will need some scissors, string, and colorful beads, paint, and some macaroni. Allow the kids to freely mix and match the beads to create colorful jewelry. Color the macaroni and incorporate them into the kids’ designs.

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You can use clay that can be baked or air dried. This will allow the sculptures to last long. But if you can’t find any of those, you can also use normal clay. Just be sure to provide different colors to make the sculptures appealing to the eyes of little children. Guide the kids in making different forms and shapes with the clay. Bake or air-dry their creations according to the instructions of your clay. You can then create miniature scenes with the clay sculptures.

Photo Credit: kunderwood {stitchy stitcherson}

For this craft project, you will need plain white shirts, crayons in various colors, cardboard, old newspaper/scrap paper, and an iron. Lay out the shirt right side up on a hard, flat surface. Insert cardboard or several layers of paper into the shirt and let the kids draw simple designs. Help them in making the colors strong. When they are done drawing, cover the design with scrap or newspaper. Iron the shirt on low to medium heat until the design no longer transfers to the paper. You can also cover the design with wax paper, and then with a dish towel. Iron the shirt and then remove the towel and the wax paper. This is supposed to make the design last long, even when the wax has washed off. Wash the shirt before wearing.

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A mobile is a wonderful and easy way to create decorations for different seasons and special occasions. You can make a fall mobile by using leaves, pressed flowers, berries, and little pine cones. Laminate the leaves and flowers in between wax paper to make them last. Create your own mobile design by hanging the laminated items, along with the berries and cones, on twigs. Make variations of this mobile for the other seasons and occasions. For a Christmas mobile, you can make snowflakes, Santa hats, mock gifts, and even use hollies. There are so many designs to be made.

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This craft is a great way to teach recycling and to develop children’s creativity. For the doll’s head, you can use a ping pong ball or a ball made of paper which is then coated with white glue/water mix. You can choose to weigh down the plastic bottle body with pebbles, seeds, or beads. Hot glue the head to the top of the bottle. Draw the facial details using permanent marker or with a small brush. For its hair, you can paint it on or you can use string, yarn, or even a paper cut out. Paint the bottle with a base color and then paint on the doll’s costume. You can also try making the costume with construction paper and then gluing it to the bottle. Try creating different dolls and using other materials readily available to you.

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Improve children’s spatial ability by letting them make a collage. The kids can glue cut up scrap paper, magazine pages, leaves, and other materials to a surface to create a collage poster. Don’t put any boundaries on the children’s imagination. You can apply the concept of the collage to create decoupage boxes. Glue different pictures and materials to a cardboard box and then coat it a couple of times with decoupage glue made of white glue/water. The kids can use this box to keep treasured items.

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Handmade cards are very easy crafts for kids to do. All you need are clean sheets of paper and writing/drawing equipment. Make handmade cards to suit different occasions. Let the kids design the cards according to their taste. Cards are good gifts for children to give to family and friends. It will make them feel accomplished and involved in other people’s lives.

Always have adult supervision when using scissors, glue, hot iron, and other materials that may harm the kids. Safety is a must for complete enjoyment and learning. You want children to remember crafting as a fun activity. Don’t be afraid of them making a mess. Instead, encourage them to use their imagination and to have fun. Children who have been exposed to crafting will usually carry on their love for it to adulthood. However, if they don’t, at least they will remember the bonding time you’ve had together.

Top Photo Credit: queenbeeamy