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7 Toddler Craft Ideas
 When your darling has grown to be toddler, controlling his hands and fingers better and better, there are new and fun possibilities to introduce toddler craft ideas. For younger babies, painting with edible finger paint is a great indoor activity, but with a toddler more can definitely be done.
In addition to simply having fun together and bonding, exciting craft ideas for
toddlers may help them practice concentration, language development (from following
instructions) as well as eye-hand coordination. And of course encourage their
creativity.
Fun Toddler Craft Ideas
Paper PuppetsCreating his own paper puppets in the shape of animals, dolls, cars or whatever
interests the toddler is a fun toddler craft idea. Puppets are fascinating to toddlers. All you
really need are some craft or popsicle sticks, construction
paper Help your toddler cut the desired shapes out of construction paper. He can draw faces and other details with washable markers. Glue the stick to the back of the shape, let dry, and he's ready to put on a puppet show. If you want to make more elaborate puppets, try cutting shapes out of foam. Glue on a pom pom for the nose, and add some googly eyes.
Foam Container AnimalsFoam is very easy to maneuver and does not rip as easily as paper making it a versatile project for children. With help to draw the shapes, a toddler can try to cut out the shapes using a pair of safety scissors. But be prepared to help out. Consider making foam masks or even foam characters such as dinosaurs, dogs, etc. These can of course also be glued to a stick to make a puppet show.
Draw and ColorToddlers love to draw and color. Provide a box of crayons To add another element to the drawing, give your child stickers to play with and place on the paper. Be sure to give your child a variety of stickers so they can choose what they want to use. (And if you have a young toddler, watch out so the he or she doesn't swallow the sticker.)
Finger PaintKids love to finger paint, but it's so messy. And there's also the concern about them eating the paint, especially with younger children. The solution? Let them paint with pudding! You don't need different flavors to make different colors. Just use one serving of plain vanilla pudding, divide it up into small portions, and add food coloring to create various shades. Give your child a paper plate to use as a canvas for his masterpiece. When he's done, he can eat it with no worries. If you are worried that your carpets or walls will be stained, put your child, naked or dressed only in diapers, in the bath tub (without water) and let him do create his work of art there. (My children quickly find out that body painting is even more fun, and we have some really funny memories and pictures of them very happily painting themselves and each other with the finger paint.)
And you don't have to use vanilla pudding. It is entirely possible to buy finger paint at the store.
Design a T-ShirtIf your toddler sees you sewing or painting clothes with fabric paint, he may want to try his hand at designing clothes. But needles are small and sharp, and fabric paint is messy. What to do? Break out the markers! Kids can have a lot of fun decorating a plain white t-shirt with colorful markers. If you use washable ones, they can create a design, wear it, and start over after you wash the shirt. Other possibilities are to let them paint worn textile shoes (preferably their own) or towels or sheets. If a permanent design is desired, you'll have to let your toddler use non-washable markers. You can avoid a mess by covering the work area with newspaper and putting a smock on your toddler.
Design a CardLet your toddler create a card for someone special, e.g. for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Cards can be made with glitter, with adult supervision of course. Help your toddler spell out what they want the card to say, then have them trace the lines with a glitter marker. Glitter markers are better than actual glitter because the markers already have the glue in them – easy cleanup!
PlacematsMaking placemats out of contact paper is another fun toddler craft idea. Have your toddler cut shapes
out of construction
paper Most toddlers will only have the patience to make one placemat at a time. But she can make another one tomorrow, continuing until there are enough for the whole family. She'll be so proud to know that everyone sees her artwork at every meal!
Pasta creationsLet your toddler create a card for someone special, e.g. for Mother's Day or
Father's Day. Cards can be made with glitter, with adult supervision of course.
Help your toddler spell out what they want the card to say, then have them trace
the lines with a glitter marker. Glitter markers
Using the above toddler craft ideas is a great way to introduce arts and crafts to your toddler.
Since toddlers love to learn and absorb new information, crafts are the perfect
idea to spark your child's creative side. And doing it together is a great way to
tighten your bond too, something that will help both of you as your child enters in
to the next development stage, with a strong will and tantrums coming up.
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, safety scissors, markers
and glue.
, some paper and watch the
children get inspired. Children can be taught to draw new items or simply left to
doodle on their own. Ask them to describe what they are drawing; it will fuel their
imaginations even more!
are better than actual glitter
because the markers already have the glue in them – easy cleanup!
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