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Getting a toddler to sit still can be a near-impossible feat. They’re constantly exploring the world around them. That’s a good thing, but sometimes they need some creative downtime. That’s where arts and crafts for toddlers come in for the rescue.

Arts and crafts for toddlers is great  for a number of reasons. It can help them develop longer attention spans. Most crafts help develop hand-eye coordination. And young children can benefit from learning how to follow simple instructions. Here are some craft ideas that your toddler can do (with supervision).

Craft Stick Puppets

Puppets are fascinating to toddlers. Creating their own puppets is easy, and it’s lots of fun. All you really need are some craft or popsicle sticks, construction paper, safety scissors, markers and glue.

Help your toddler cut animal 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.

Paint with Pudding

Kids love to finger paint, but it’s so messy. And there’s also the concern about them eating the paint. Even if the paints are nontoxic, it can make cautious parents uneasy. The solution? Let them paint with pudding!

Pudding finger paint

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Ingredients

• 1 box of vanilla instant pudding mix
• Milk (follow direction amounts on pudding box)
• gel food coloring (your choice if colors)

Instructions

1. Make the instant vanilla pudding according to the instructions on the box.
2. Divide into separate bowls and add food coloring of your choice to each.
3. It's ready for playtime! Using paintbrushes and their fingers,
4. allow kids to paint on paper or bristol board using paint.

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https://jfamilycrafters.com/crafts-with-toddlers/

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.

Design a T-Shirt

If your toddler sees you sewing or painting clothes with fabric paint, she may want to try her hand at designing clothes. But needles are small, sharp and dangerous for little hands. Fabric paint is messy in the hands of a toddler.  First comes the mess then the nearly impossible cleanup.   What is a parent to do? Break out the washable markers!

Kids can have a blast decorating a plain white t-shirt with colorful markers.  Their little imaginations can run wild.  Of course this craft depends on the age of your toddler.  The washable markers are important in this craft.  First off cleanup is a lot easier.  Secondly they can create a design on their provided shirt, wear it, and start over after you wash the shirt. If a permanent design is desired, however, you’ll have to let him use non-washable markers. You can avoid a mess by covering the work area with newspaper and putting a smock on your toddler.

Placemats

Making placemats out of contact paper is very easy. Have your toddler cut shapes out of construction paper and glue them onto a whole piece with a glue stick. He can add detail with markers or embellish with stickers. When he’s done, place the artwork on a piece of contact paper, sticky side up. Place another sheet of contact paper on top, sticky side down.

Most toddlers will only have the patience to make one place mat at a time. But he can make another one tomorrow, continuing until there are enough for the whole table. He’ll be so proud to know that everyone sees his artwork at every meal!  He or she will also feel a sense of accomplishment especially if they design one for every place at the table.

Crafts for toddlers

Toddlers love to learn new things. What better way to help them learn than to introduce new crafts. Crafts do not have to be labor intensive. In fact, many crafts are designed for toddlers and are available at the local crafts store. In addition to finding kits at the local craft store, you can also use regular household goods such as crayons, paper and even pasta to encourage your toddler’s creativity.

Ideas, Ideas for Arts and Crafts for toddlers

There is a great craft at thegrowingcreatives.com.  It is called the Valentine’s Day Love Bug Craft.  Add it to your list and check it out.  Also check out crafts for older kids here.

1  Foam containers

– there are many projects available at Michael’s and AC Moore for children that involve foam. Foam is very easy to maneuver and does not rip as easily as paper making it a versatile project for children. Consider making foam masks or even foam characters such as dinosaurs, dogs, etc. Save the building activities for a later age when children are more adept to working with glue.

2 Toddlers love to draw and color.

Provide a box of crayons, 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! 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.

3 Pasta creations

– There are many things that toddlers can create with pasta. Wheels can be used as tires on cars, ziti noodles and some string can be used to create bracelets and necklaces. Use markers to color the pasta before using the noodles to craft, your child will come up with a colorful creation for sure.

4 Paper Crafts

– let your toddler create a card for someone special. 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!

Using the above 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. All of the ideas provided are quick and easy and allow for minimal mess as well as quick clean up. Crafts can be introduced on a regular basis to keep your child entertained.

Arts and crafts for toddlers can help your little one learn important skills while keeping him quietly occupied. Whether it’s a rainy day or he’s just feeling creative.  What are some of your favorite crafts to do with toddlers?

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