Hello, friends!
Winter is here! One of the best ways to keep little hands busy during winter break is with some fun holiday crafting. The beauty of crafting is that many of the materials you need are already right in your home. Below are my Top Five Creative Crafting Ideas for kids of all ages to enjoy this season:
- Water Color Resist Snowflakes
This color-resist art packs a fun surprise when water colors are applied over a crayon drawing. The wax from the crayon acts as a water repellent and whatever is drawn in crayon will pop out through the water color. This is a simple project only requiring: paper, crayons and water colors to create a snowy winter scene.
- Get Sticky With Home-Made Playdough
Bring some scent or sparkle to your table with winter themed playdough! Recipes can be found for unique creations like hot-chocolate playdough, glittery snowman dough or even taste-safe playdough. Playdough is not only a tactile experience but a calming one too. For older friends, add buttons, beads, google eyes and ribbons to create mini-models of a not-so-chilly snowman.
- Create a Recycled Igloo
Scavenge the house for all kinds of recycled items such as: milk cartons, paper towel rolls, cotton balls, cereal boxes and tissue paper and let your little architects free. Add some child-safe scissors and glue sticks to let their creations take on new shapes and heights. Building with recycled materials is not only a great way to repurpose items that would otherwise be thrown away, it is a great opportunity for little hands to get creative! For more recycled craft ideas click here.
- Ice Painting
You heard right! Bring your kids a bit of chilly fun this winter with color-ice painting. This easy and fun activity is lesson in cause and effect and fine motor development for younger friends. Prompt your kids with questions about color mixing and what happens when their ice begins to melt. Check out https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2015/02/ice-painting-process-art-techniques-for.html to find out how to make this cold and colorful craft!
- Gingerbread Man Mosaic
Use tissue or construction paper cut in various shapes to piece together a gingerbread man. A mosaic craft presents a great opportunity for little hands to practice scissor skills practice scissor skills for kindergarten readiness. This is also a wonderful practice in fine motor coordination (a pre-cursor to writing). If you don’t have colored paper at home, break out the markers or crayons and encourage a coloring session.
Don’t forget to come join us at the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum over winter break too. The museum's winter camp (starting December 26) features art and culture projects and of course, tons of crafty fun. Can’t get enough art? Stop by the museum on Thursdays for more artsy activities for little hands; we offer everything from painting to necklace making and much, much more.
About Gigi:
I am an Educator at San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. My background in Early Childhood Education and love of all things artsy led me to a career in working with children to inspire creativity and a love for learning. I hope to see you at the museum soon,
Happy Holidays, and keep crafting!
Sources:
http://www.playideas.com/25-winter-playdough-recipes-for-kids/
https://www.education.com/activity/recycled-crafts/
https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2015/02/ice-painting-process-art-tech...
https://handsonaswegrow.com/cutting-activities-fine-motor/
https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2015/02/ice-painting-process-art-tech...