Hi, Welcome back to Toddler Craft. Please subscribe to my Toddler Craft newsletter. Sign up to the left. It's full of more fun activities, parenting information and crafts! Thanks for visiting!
photo credit: AForestFrolic
Completing a puzzle is one activity that makes a child think and enjoy at the same time. Puzzles with missing pieces however, often end up in cob-webbed stock rooms or the dumps, but throwing away those remaining puzzle pieces is not really necessary.
You are right about keeping those pieces in some plastic bags or cartons, hoping that someday it would be used for something valuable.
This Christmas, let the kids use old puzzle pieces, not as a puzzle to be put together but as a wonderful symbol of Christmas, the wreath. Yes, let us turn these remaining puzzle pieces into useful decorations these Christmas seasons.
Supplies:
- Old puzzle pieces
- Different colored buttons
- White ribbon (about ½ cm in width)
- White paper board
- Green paint
- Glue gun
- Red and Green glitter glue
- Candle pattern (body: 1.5 inch in length and 1 cm in width; flame: 1 cm)
Steps:
- Get your old puzzle pieces and glue them from end to end by overlapping them and forming a circle shape.
- If the glue is now dry, paint your puzzle wreath with green paint. Then, after drying it out, apply a second coat of green paint for a prominent green color.
- After the paint has dried, apply green glitter glue all over the painted puzzle pieces.
- Using the candle pattern cut out a candle shape from the paper board. Thickly coat the flame area with red glitter glue. Let it dry and then glue it at the bottom part of the hole in the middle of the wreath.
- Glue the buttons in front of the wreath.
- Make a bow using the ribbon and paste it at the bottom part of the wreath
- Put an additional ribbon on top of the wreath to serve as the hanger.
Have some great fun making this Christmas wreath decor with your kids. At the same time, teach them the value of recycling old materials.
photo credit: Shermeee
Children and even adults love chocolates and cereals. Now they can enjoy both through this simple and quick to make recipe. They will not only love the taste, but they will certainly have fun in making their own chocolate goodies.
Allow them to help you so they will learn how to prepare their food on their own, so that in later years they will develop a sense of independence and responsibility. Always teach your children to wash their hands thoroughly first before handling any food to prevent contamination. As they are children, you can’t avoid them making a mess deliberately to have fun, so be ready with your patience and loving care as you all enjoy this activity.
What you will need:
- Chocolate bar (one pound)
- Two cups crunchy cereals
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Cupcake papers
How to do it:
- Break the one-pound chocolate bar into small pieces in a mixing bowl.
- Melt the chocolate using the mixing spoon. You can ask your child to help you do this.
- Pour the two cups of cereal into the melted chocolate. Mix them well, until the cereals are evenly coated with chocolate.
- Spoon your mixture into the cupcake papers.
- Place them in the refrigerator until they get hard. Do not freeze.
- Serve them on a tray. Enjoy your crunchy chocolate cereals.
photo credit: jez.atkinson
Who said ghosts are only supposed to be spooky? They could be cool and cute.
This Halloween, kids can enjoy making cute ghost decors that they can hang on the door or on walls. This is something that they can display especially during the season of Trick or Treat.
Supplies:
- Paper plates
- Black and white construction paper
- Large wiggly eyes (optional)
- White yarn
- Crepe paper
- Glue
- Tape
- Black markers
- Scissors
- Shape patterns for arms, eyes, and mouth (Make the patterns in advance or together with your kids)
How to make it:
- First, make the eyes of the ghost by cutting two large oval patterns and then two smaller oval patterns out of the construction paper.
- Glue the white ovals to the black ones. To make it look like eyes, draw a small black circle on the white ovals. If you have large wiggly eyes, you can skip this step.
- Trace the arm pattern on the white construction paper and make two arms. Make a mouth shape using the black construction paper.
- Attach the arms at the back portion of the paper plate by gluing it.
- Glue the custom made eyes or the large wiggly eyes and the mouth to the paper plate. You can also let the kids draw the face themselves.
- You can also draw eye brows over the eyes.
- Cut the crepe paper into long strips and attach them at the back of the paper plate.
- Get a short piece of yarn (about six inches), and attach the ends of the yarn to the back of the paper plate to serve as the hanger.
- Mount the cute ghost décor on doors or wall of your home.
Enjoy your Halloween celebration with your kids through this craft!
photo credit: Photocapy
This is one craft that your kids will surely love and enjoy. This will develop their creativity and resourcefulness. As they grow taller and stronger, they are attracted to moving objects. They are also becoming more aware of their mobility. Making a pull-along mini-cart would satisfy their curiosity and active desire to be in control of things. Moreover, this craft can be a learning activity in which the children can identify colors and shapes.
What you will need:
- Drinking/plastic cup
- Colored cardboard
- Two pieces of pencils
- Modeling clay
- String
- Pair of scissors
How to do it:
- Place your drinking/plastic cup on the colored cardboard and trace the base with a pencil to make four wheels.
- Cut the four wheels out of the cardboard.
- Push the two pencils through the two wheels respectively. Be careful in handling the pointed tip to avoid piercing or hurting yourself.
- Attach the pencil on each wheel and seal it with modeling clay to prevent it from loosening.
- Make a small rectangular box with an open top using your colored cardboard. You can use a different color this time to make the body of the mini-cart distinct from the wheels.
- Make four holes on the sides of the box, two on each side.
- Push the pencils with wheels through the holes.
- Attach the remaining two wheels on the two pencils, respectively and fixing it with modeling clay.
- Tie a string on one end of the box, just long enough for your kid to pull it along.
- Now that you have a pull-along mini-cart, ask your child to give it a name to make it more meaningful for him.
photo credit: katekillet
Toddlers always enjoy making sounds, be it by just tapping objects or anything they can get their hands on. Teach your kids early to develop their love for music.
One simple musical instrument that you can do with your toddlers is a musical shaker made of ordinary things or recycled materials. Surely, it will be enjoyable for the kids to make, and play with! To make their shaker colorful, the kids can add decorations on it.
Supplies:
- Two pieces of used plastic cups
- Dried lentils or beans
- Tape
- Colored construction paper (optional)
- Crayons or markers
- Glue
- Pair of scissors
Steps:
- Clean up the cups very thoroughly.
- Ask your child to take the dried lentils or beans and place them inside the cup.
- Take the other cup and place it on top of the cup with dried lentils or beans.
- Attach them with a tape (make it tight, so it doesn’t break open)
- Take out your colored construction paper and wrap it around the shaker.
- Assist your child in decorating the shaker with crayons or markers.
- Ask your kids to shake it up and down, and side to side to make sounds.
Now, play the CD of your kids’ favorite songs and sing with them while demonstrating how you enhance the rhythm of the music using the musical shakers that you all crafted. Add some fun dancing and surely the whole family would find great time and bonding.
