Crafts For Toddlers

Alex Super Art Table with Paper Roll and Two Benches

Amazon Price: $178.72 (as of 12/08/2009)

My 5 year old and 18 month old LOVE this art table. Easy to put together, durable and cleanable. Large enough for friends to sit and draw....paper cutter and cup holders make this a well-designed table.....they even prefer to eat meals at this colorful spot....

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Wonderplay

by: Fretta Reitzes, Beth Teitelman, Lois Alter Mark

Amazon Price: $11.07 (as of 12/08/2009)

As a first time parent I bought *every* book out there that was labeled "interactive and "developmental" - I could've saved all my time and money had I just discovered "Wonderplay" first!

It is by far THE BEST book out there! It's ideas come from a Parenting Center in New York which is what sets this book apart from others - these authors know FIRST HAND that these ideas WORK!

The layout is great - starts with play with Children of All Ages, moves to Birth to Six Months, Six to Twelve Months, One-Year-Olds, Two-Year-Olds and lastly Three-Year-Olds. The ideas that they list are all age appropriate, quick, easy and inexpensive!

A MUST HAVE FOR FIRST TIME PARENTS!!

First Art : Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos

by: MaryAnn F. Kohl, Renee F. Ramsey, Dana Bowman, Katheryn Davis

Amazon Price: $10.76 (as of 12/08/2009)

The secret of this book is that these art experiences are safe, fun and easy for toddlers but if you have older kids they will love them too. If you are a parent like me, you want to set up art projects that will be fun for all your kids. You also want projects that capture their interest and curiosity for a long time. I currently have twin 7 year olds and a 3 year old who have tried almost every project in this book. If you want to dive right into my top 10 favorite projects, here they are with comments based on our personal family experience:

Playclay - This is way better than the commercial playdough products you buy in the store. It sounds like a lot of effort to make your own, but this cooked playclay is so luxurious, wonderful and lasts for weeks. It is much better for toddlers than the store bought stuff since it is super soft and easier for tiny hands to roll, mold, and squeeze.

Waterpaint - Too easy to be true! Tips on taking a bucket of water and brushes and "painting" outdoors on a summer day.

Feelie Goop - A recipe of cornstarch and water with bizzare properties that fascinates toddlers, kids and adults alike.

First Color Mixing - This is such a favorite that I bought four ice cube trays and lots of food coloring and I bring this out often when my kids have friends over. I fill the trays with water, squeeze some red, blue and yellow in three of the compartments, and let them use pipettes (like easy eye droppers) from ...to drip the colors together in each compartment. This is an older toddler variation from the book. Great ideas for the youngest toddlers are in the book.

Early Scissors - My kids loved cutting playclay worms with plastic scissors and cutting strips of paper as they mastered the use of scissors. There are lots of great tips on getting toddlers started safely with scissors.

Buckets of Bubbles - My kids love to play in this stuff. It is like an outdoor bubble bath.

Scribble Book - Toddlers are fascinated with books. Make tiny homemade books that are OK to scribble in. The book has lots of great variations and ideas for this simple art experience.

Foil Squeeze - Foil paper is fun to make into shapes. I recently gave all my kids one sheet of foil paper on a long drive to Yosemite and the 3 year old made bowls and the 7 year olds created Half Domes.

Tabletop Fingerpainting - Here's a great recipe for homemade fingerpaint to do right on you table! My toddlers were fascinated and used their fingers to make endless patterns.

Color Tube - This takes a lot of time to set up, but I saw a huge version at a preschool carnival and it was such a hit. I tied lots of tubes and funnels to a board with twists and turns in the tubes. My kids and their playmates loved pouring colored water to see what would happen and what end it would stream out of.

I hope you enjoy these and the other projects as much as we have and still do. One tip that would have helped me when it started out is where to get inexpensive great art materials. Ask your local daycare, preschool, or elementary school teachers for teacher supply stores near you or the teacher's catalogs they order supplies from. In my area, anyone can shop through these venues and you will find the greatest stuff. (Always buy washable markers and paints! We stained lots of toddler clothes before I decided it was cheaper to just buy the more expensive washable art materials.)
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