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| Simple Things to Make | ||
This one is great for when you are living away from
a loved one/ones. The children can play act and remember those they love.
You will need: Paper plates, Crayons, string for hanging. Have the children use crayons to colour designs on both sides of their paper plates. Then cut each plate around and around in a spiral so that when you are finished, it resembles a snake. Draw an eye on one end. Then hang the finished products. If your children are older, they may be able to cut the paper plates themselves.
Colourful
Butterfly
These popular snow domes can be made at home. You will need: Black cardboard, a white pencil, a jar, water and glitter. Let your child draw a picture of a snowman or a snow scene, on a piece of black cardboard with a white pencil. Tape the picture to the outside of the jar. Fill the jar up with water and sprinkle in some glitter. Pop the lid on the jar and tighten really well.
Cover the end of a toilet or paper towel tube with a piece of black paper. Gently push a toothpick through the black paper to create tiny holes. Let the children decorate their telescopes with drawings or stickers. The children can now look up to the light through the uncovered end of their scopes. To use them, have the children hold their scopes up to the light and look through the uncovered end. The children will love what they see.
Make different shapes like the ones featured. Make crowns by cutting triangles out of the top. Fold in the shape of a triangle for a pirate hat.
Paint the inside of a shoebox with black or dark blue poster or acrylic paint, or spray it with a can. Alternatively, you can glue black construction paper inside the box. Using white crayons or stickers, make a night scene with stars and the moon on the black background. Alternatively you cut these shapes out of white paper and glue them on. Get creative, use small plastic toys to create a scene inside your shadowbox, or make your own with construction paper and glue. Cut out small pictures from colouring books and colour and adhere to your scene. Hang a spaceship or shooting star with a piece of string and glue.
For an alternative, add the glow in the dark space objects that you can buy quite cheaply from a discount shop. This method of using a shadow box is a compromise if your child wants these type of stickers up in a bedroom, but you are not so keen.
Making your own hobby horse is not as difficult as it first sounds. Take a paper bag and draw on it a face. From another brown bag, stick on two cut out ears, and shredded paper for the mane. Pop your horse head over the handle of a broom and proceed to stuff the bag with newspaper. Tie the head to the handle with some string. Add some lengths of ribbon, for the reins. Then watch your child ride off happily into the sunset!
Children of all ages can have a great time stringing their own edible necklaces. For the string you can use dental floss. Then the children can get to 'work' threading up their own design. You could use fruit loops, pretzels, lifesavers, marshmallows or any other 'stringable food' you can think of. The necklaces can be tied behind the neck, for a truly sweet fashion statement (if they last long enough). Children love to 'entertain' and pretend. Making felt puppets and letting them role play is a lot of fun. Purchase some felt squares from a craft shop or purchase in packets from a discount store. Cut out a small boy or girl or an animal and decorate them with eyes or other items stuck on like hats, hair and clothes. Attach the puppets to the child's middle and pointer finger with a hair band wrapped around the puppet and the fingers. The child can now make the puppet walk by moving their fingers in a walking action.
This is a great idea for helping children with their hand and eye coordination, as well as just a lot of fun. Cut out of paper,10 fish shapes. You can colour them, or decorate them. Then to the mouth of each one, add a paperclip. Then tie some string to a magnet and go fishing. Depending on how keen you are, you can either just put them out on the floor or table and fish, or construct a 'fishpond' out of a box.
Collage is from the French word "coller" which in fact means "to stick". What to use in a collage is only limited by the imagination. Collect different shaped boxes, from toothpaste boxes right up to television boxes. Add fabric pieces, feathers, pebbles, leaves, pieces of coloured paper, glitter, stickers, flowers etc. Put newspaper down and dress your child in a smock or old shirt and let them create . Sticking cutting and, gluing is part of a Childs' development. (For recipes on glue go to the craft recipe section under activities to do.)
These can be made from a shoebox or a box from a craft shop. Now comes the fun part of decorating it. Some suggestions are glue and glitter, stickers, cut out photos, fabric pieces, or just brightly coloured paper to cover it.
A variation on the treasure box is to wash out a tin and decorate it. These are great for pencils, scissors or to put in hair clips, little toys or other goodies.
When children are very young you can cut out pictures of babies for one page, food for another, furniture and appliances out of catalogues, modes of transport, sports, toys, people just with faces and different expressions, etc. Young children love to sit on your lap and say baby, train, ball and so on. As they get older you can have a page for each letter of the alphabet and put on each the appropriate picture that starts with that letter. Then as they start to read you can add the word under the picture. We also had free pages where children just liked the picture and wanted to put it in.
Children love to tell stories about their drawings. A parent can write out the story under drawings and when completed they can be stapled together, or threaded through two holes on the side to form a book with a title and written and illustrated by proudly written on the front.
These were made with bought polished rocks and pipe cleaners and google eyes were added. Pet rocks are great for children to give as special presents to friends and family.
Book marks are great for children to make to give to others. They can be made from strong cardboard and then decorated. You can use glitter, sequins, buttons, stickers or any bric-a-brac that is around. Add some cotton twisted to the end for a tassel and you have something that children will be proud to give Nanna. Return to Children's Activities
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Making
paper hats for toys can be a lot of fun. You will need some paper, felt pens, scissors
and stapler. You can go a step further and add stickers, sequins, ribbons etc.
Children seem to
start early collecting little bits and pieces. Things like toys that come with
meal deals, yowies etc, seem to find their way all over the place.
Making a treasure box with your child is a great idea. If they have made it they
will be more inclined to use it.
When children are
a little older you can formalize sticking and gluing into a scrapbook.
Both my boys had their own scrapbooks from an early age which they still have.
You can purchase a scrap book cheaply from a store. Covering it and putting the Childs
name and the date which the scrap book started on it is a great way of
remembering it all in later years.
An old favourite
of every child. Smooth flat rocks are best. Give them a wash and let them dry
then decorate with paints. Glue on eyes, some wool for hair and give him a name.