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!

This is a fun Kindergarten craft (that was inspired by my daughters kindergarten teacher, Thank you!).  Creating fun crafts around a letter help reinforce the letter and the letter sound.  Practice writing the letter together and saying the letter and the words that start with it as you create this fun craft.

Supplies:

• Brown Paper bag
• Felt
• Marker
• White paper
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Draw the shape of the kittens face, and cut it out
2. Draw eyes, nose and mouth on the kittens face
3. Draw a mitten shape on felt and cut out
4. Use first mitten as guide and trace second mitten, cut out
5. Glue face and mittens to bag
6. Color in face and write the words “K is for Kitten”
7. Name your kitten, think of some fun K names!

Enjoy!!

This fall activity is a great activity this time of year with all the leaves on the ground!!  Enjoy a brisk afternoon outside collecting some different types of leaves and then come inside for some creative fun! Make sure to pick a variety of leaves if you can to make your leaf rub collage have some depth and dimension to it.

Supplies:

• Paper
• Leaves
• Crayons
• Glue

Steps:

1. Collect a variety of leaves
2. Place one at a time under your paper and rub the edge of the crayon over the leaf.  You will get the outline of the leaf on your paper.
3. Repeat the rubbing step with your different leaves and different shades of color to create your collage.
4. Pick a few of your favorite leaves and glue them on top of the collage.

Enjoy!

photo credit: Liz (perspicacious.org)

Kids love decorating the Christmas tree during the Yuletide season. One of the most popular decors used is a Christmas ball that comes in many different colors.

Now, with your big help and encouragement, kids can also decorate cards with these colorful balls. In turn they can give these cards to other people to spread the Christmas spirit.

Supplies:

• Green paper board
• Colored construction papers
• Shiny paper
• Black yarn
• Glue
• Glitter or glitter glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Markers

Steps:

1. Get the green paper board and cut a rectangle shape for the card base. (You may use plain paper board and paste green colored paper on it if green paper board is not available).
2. Fold it into half.
3. Fold the front portion into four crosswise folds and cut away three parts (3/4) of the paper fold, with one fold remaining at the top portion of the card.
4. Make balls by making and cutting circle shapes in different sizes using the different colored papers.
5. Make the kids design their own Christmas balls by using colored markers and glitters, or lining then with glitter glue.
6. Cut the yarn into short pieces. Glue one end into the back part of the remaining paper fold of the front portion of the card and attach the Christmas balls to the other end. Yarn lengths need not be equal.
7. Write “Merry Christmas!” on the remaining top portion of the front fold of the card.
8. Write your message on the inner back fold of the card. You can add some designs into that portion too.

Bond with the kids in making the hanging Christmas balls card and teach them the value of sharing by letting the children create and give cards to friends and loved ones.

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:

1. Place your drinking/plastic cup on the colored cardboard and trace the base with a pencil to make four wheels.
2. Cut the four wheels out of the cardboard.
3. Push the two pencils through the two wheels respectively. Be careful in handling the pointed tip to avoid piercing or hurting yourself.
4. Attach the pencil on each wheel and seal it with modeling clay to prevent it from loosening.
5. 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.
6. Make four holes on the sides of the box, two on each side.
7. Push the pencils with wheels through the holes.
8. Attach the remaining two wheels on the two pencils, respectively and fixing it with modeling clay.
9. Tie a string on one end of the box, just long enough for your kid to pull it along.
10. 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:

1. Clean up the cups very thoroughly.
2. Ask your child to take the dried lentils or beans and place them inside the cup.
3. Take the other cup and place it on top of the cup with dried lentils or beans.
4. Attach them with a tape (make it tight, so it doesn’t break open)
5. Take out your colored construction paper and wrap it around the shaker.
6. Assist your child in decorating the shaker with crayons or markers.
7. 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.