Play Hard

Get crafty with the kids

Want to keep little ones entertained whilst helping their development too? Whip out the glitter and glue and get creating! We've pulled together our favourite easy craft ideas, so you don't have to...

Written by Laura Kingston

Published 06.12.2019

By Helen Bowman

If like me, you’re blessed with children who love creating and crafting, you’ll never be short of ideas for presents and activities.And busting out the glue, glitter and crafting scissors provides so many great benefits for their development too. Yes, it can be messy, but while they’re having fun, they’re also improving so many of their skills.Crafting and creating helps children:

Develop fine motor skills – most craft activities involve moving the hands and fingers, honing their strength and precision.
Improve hand/eye coordination – the more practise a child gets with this skill, the better.
Increase self-esteem and wellbeing – as with adults, children benefit from the distraction and relaxation of crafting while getting a ‘feel good’ sense of achievement at the end.
Discover flexibility and creativity – unlike many subjects like maths and science, art is flexible. There are no rights and wrongs – children can let their imagination run away and simply enjoy the making process.

Painting with pompoms

Cut out a Christmas tree shape using green paper or cardboard then pinch some pom poms with garden pegs. These can then be used as ‘paintbrushes’ to create painted baubles on your Christmas tree. Break out the coloured paints and get decorating the tree.

https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/pom-pom-painting-christmas-tree-craft-for-toddlers.html

Decorated baubles

Get creative with some finger paints, sharpies and stickers to craft some personalised baubles – try some reindeer, Santas, elves? The possibilities are endless.For a reindeer, take your bauble (matt surfaces work best), paint your thumb in a reindeer colour (brown is standard but by no means prescriptive) and paint a thumbprint on the bauble. Once dry, draw on the antlers and facial features before finishing off with a ruby red nose – you can use paint, stickers, permanent markers. Whatever you like to get the desired effect.

http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2011/11/20-minute-crafter-reindeer-thumbprint.html

Pompom pine cone decorations

I love how colourful these hanging decorations are. And they’re so much fun to make with pine cones found during a lovely winter’s walk.You’ll need some small pompoms, a glue gun and some ribbon or string. Simply attach a loop of ribbon or string to the bottom of a pine cone for the hanger then glue the little pompoms around the spines of the pine cone – simple but effective, don’t you think?

www.onelittleproject.com/pom-poms-and-pinecones-christmas-ornaments/

Handprint a Christmas scene

Why not keep it really simple with your hands, some paint and some paper? Get creative with your handprints and see what animals and shapes you can come up with for your winter scene. We love these little birds, but the options are abounding.

www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/292734044521235211/