I'm the "Little Crafty Kids" Contributor on Squidoo
Welcome to the World of Tiny Creativity!
Most homes with small children are a whirlwind of mess - but in our house it's not just toys everywhere, our living room is also generally covered in crafty bits!
From pipe cleaners to glitter tubes, googley eyes to foam shapes and letters, there are mini craft projects everywhere.
Getting creative with toddlers and preschool kids is so much fun, and I now leave out a box of craft materials for my 4-year-old daughter to delve into at will, which is great because she randomly surprises me with pictures and creations!
We've been crafting together since she was one, and I'm hoping that her new baby brother will follow in our crafty footsteps (did I mention that I'm an avid crafter too?)
I'm a firm believer in unleashing creativity in children, and letting them loose with craft materials is one of the very best ways! It's also a super way to reuse and recycle almost everything in the house - we have a mountain of empty toilet rolls, shoe boxes and the like awaiting customization - and my little girl is now forever saving bits and bobs - "Don't throw that away, Mummy, we can use it in a craft!"
So, if you are looking for fun ways to craft with under-fives, then join us on our mini crafting adventures! Read on to find out more about me and what we like to create.
Photo Credit: All images are copyright of the author.
Entering our Crafty World
Hello! I'm Louise, by the way, and I've always enjoyed being creative, which developed into a love of crafting in my twenties.
I'm also a sucker for cute things, a big lover of project lists, and a former school library manager, all of which have combined to make me a massive fan of coming up with ideas for baby, toddler and preschooler crafts (among other activities!)
I am happily passing my crafting genes onto my kids, whom we shall call by their nicknames of Pud (as in pudding) and Bean (as in, er, bean).
Pud has been crafting since the ripe old age of one. Now four, we are going for crafting full throttle - this is the beginnings of the conversion of my office/craft room into an office/craft room/learning space/kids art room - we are home educators and naturally, we have to have a nice big space for all the kids crafts we have planned! And yes, we have filled all those drawers already...
Homeschooling means that we also get to go to lots of home ed groups, which involve a lot of crafts as well - and that means even more ideas to play with. These groups are mixed ages so they are great for coming up with craft activities that can be tackled by a group of children with different ages and abilities.
Meet Pud... - who will be roadtesting all the ideas this Crafty Mama comes up with!
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeAlas, many of the crafts we enjoyed when Pud was in her early years were not captured on camera. But fear not, because you can now meet...
Bean!
Who is already watching his big sister with intent curiosity from his favourite bouncy chair, and is champing at the bit to get started with his own crafting adventure as soon as his little hands and feet will allow him.
Speaking of which, we absolutely must make a batch of edible paint and try out some baby hand and foot print painting very soon!
So watch this space for some very early years crafting with this little fellow in the coming months.
Inspired to Get Crafty?
Do you craft with your kids or grandkids?
Where It All Began...
This is Pud when she had just turned 2, wearing her first big craft project - an Octonauts undersea helmet and search and rescue torch!
Exploring arts, crafts and creativity in general is so important for small children - it encourages their imagination and makes for terrific sensory play, too.
Older babies and 1-year-olds don't have to miss out, either - okay, so they can't get their hands on scissors or glue yet, but there are tons of recipes for safe, edible paint and play-doh, which means they can start making hand print pictures and having a good old squeeze of some modelling dough right from the start!
Ideas and Resources for Little Crafty Kids
Little Crafty Kids can turn everything into art - even the humble empty loo roll can become an object of beauty! Here are a few more ideas...
Let's Get Going with Little Crafty Kids!
Photo Credit: Painted face jars we made for Halloween 2013
So, want to get an idea of the kinds of things we'll be coming up with? Here are just a few of the small world craft topics we have covered, or are planning to do soon, or are formulating in the recesses of our crazy brains...
Little Crafty Kids Love...
- Collages
- Nature crafts
- Paper plate crafts
- 101 things to make with toilet rolls
- Upcycling
- Lacing and sewing for preschoolers
- Making edible craft materials
- Reviewing the best kids craft kits
- Seasonal crafts
- Kids craft storage and display ideas
- Mosaics
- Super fast, boredom busting crafts
- Crafting for small world play
- Using crafts as storytelling aids
- Paper dolls
- Basic origami and paper folding
- Salt dough and modelling clay recipes and ideas
- Painting projects
- 3D paper crafts
- How to make your own skittles, puppets and other countless toys
About the "Little Crafty Kids" Contributor
MissMerFaery is a published author, freelance writer and home educating mum of two from the UK.
She enjoys writing about all kinds of things, including crafts, kids activities, home cooking, toys and parties, spirituality, environmental issues, home décor and books. Keep up to date with her latest work via her page 10 Newest Lenses.
Here on Squidoo, MissMerFaery is the "Little Crafty Kids" Contributor, as well as a Giant Squid 100 and retired SquidAngel who has received 52 Purple Star awards, and won Lens of the Day eight times.
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