Superscript
Creating & Tinkering
Part 2
Is your goal to encourage children’s creativity through developmentally appropriate art experiences? You can learn about the differences between process- and product-focused art to help you get started.
Characteristics of product-focused art experiences
Children have instructions to follow
The teacher created a sample for children to copy
There’s a right and a wrong way to proceed
There’s a finished product in mind
The children’s finished art all looks the same
The children experience frustration
The teacher might “fix mistakes”
The whole class took part in an art project at the same time
FYI-Patterns, templates and examples are readily available online
Children might say:
“Can I be done now?”
“Is this right?”
“I can’t do it.”
“Mine doesn’t look like yours.”
Providing open-ended, creative art experiences by offering activities such as:
Easel painting with a variety of paints and paintbrushes (with no directions)
Watercolor painting
Exploring and creating with clay
Finger painting
Painting with unusual tools like tooth brushes, paint rollers, potato mashers
Printing and stamping (stamps purchased or made with sponges)
Creating spin art using a record player and paint, squirt bottles, paintbrushes, or markers
Stringing beads independently and creatively
Weaving cloth, yarn, or paper
Drawing with pencils, art pens, various sizes of markers, or crayons
Using homemade doughs
Making collages using tissue paper, various sizes of paper, glue, paste, glue sticks, scissors, and recycled materials
Demonstrate or model these popular art skills for your little artist.
Using crayons or markers
Mark making for littles
Using stencils or silhouettes
Using fun paint brushes in different ways
Using different surfaces to create on
Using art stamps of all kinds (including fruit and veggies) for printing
How to spread glitter, tissue paper, natural elements across a surface
How to use clear contact paper for easy collages and suncatchers
How to make a "home" (or process art background ) for a sticker, stamp or silhouette
Using stick glue, school glue, mod podge, tape
How to to create interesting layers in a collage
How to tear paper for a collage or suncatcher
How to use scissors or tearing paper
Choosing which paint or glue to use
How to make drawing fun
Using embellishments and nature
Sorting your supplies into surfaces, tools, and mediums or materials.
Tips for leading process-focused art
Approach art like open-ended play—for example, provide a variety of materials and see what happens as the child leads the art experience
Make art a joyful experience. Let children use more paint, more colors, and make more and more artwork
Provide plenty of time for children to carry out their plans and explorations
Let children come and go from their art at will
Notice and comment on what you see: Look at all the yellow dots you painted
Say YES to children’s ideas
Offer new and interesting materials
Play music in the background
Take art materials outside in the natural light
Display children’s books with artful illustrations, such as those by Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, and Javaka Steptoe
Let the children choose whether their art goes home or stays in the classroom
Remember that it’s your children’s art, not yours
Guided art or product-focused art for toddlers often provide structured, step-by-step instruction that boosts or helps kids develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and confidence. It strengthens cognitive development, improves focus, and enhances spatial awareness while teaching, shaping recognition and, this YouTube video notes, that it, this TikTok video notes, and Expressive Monkey notes show, develops early, listening skills.
Key benefits of guided art for toddlers include:
Skill Development: Enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through grasping tools and following specific movements.
Cognitive and Academic Growth: Improves focus, attention to detail, and spatial awareness. It aids in recognizing shapes and lines, which supports early handwriting development.
Boosts Confidence: Successfully following instructions to create a recognizable object provides a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Language and Listening: Enhances vocabulary and listening skills as children follow step-by-step instructions.
Structured Creativity: While encouraging, this approach provides a framework that helps toddlers understand how to manipulate tools and materials to represent their ideas.
While, this TikTok video says and this YouTube video emphasizes the benefits of guided art, this YouTube video suggests balancing it with process art for maximum creative benefit.
Our related pages are…
Art Skills for Littles or New Artists
Hopeful Art Inquires for Babies /Toddlers
Creating a Love for Painting from the Heart
Choice based and Process Art Ideas & Supplies
100 Open-Ended Anyone Art Projects
Service 1
What can you make on index cards?
Lots and lots of things. Below you will find different ways to decorate your index card. We will start out with drawing one of a kind art with simple crayons or markers then work to glitter, painting and tissue paper. The options are endless!
Once you’re finished you can make a DIY Art Easel to display your creation.
Supplies
Paint & Brushes (Use Chubby brushes for little ones)
Markers, Crayons, Pen, Pencil & even colored pencils (Use Chubby ones for little ones)
Glue Stick
Index Cards, card stock or old cereal/cracker boxes
Scissors
Tissue Paper
Paper Clips
Magnets (backing isn’t sticky enough so use a dab of hot glue)
Hot Glue Gun
See Crayola’s “My First” Art Supplies for Little Artists
Available on Amazon and at Walmart
Easy Index Card Art Projects for Kids -Pictures
To start… I’m going to show you the first project idea.
Go grab your index cards and all the supplies listed above.
No index cards? Grab a thin box like a cereal or cracker box. Any box that is thin will work for this project.
Can an index card be a craft project?
YES! Hope’s first painting surface was from our office. The colored index cards were the perfect size for her little hands. We decorated and painted tons of them, as well as paper plates and coffee filters. Below you will find 4 different craft ideas to keep your kids busy and having fun.
Toddler art on index cards is a simple, portable, and engaging activity featuring techniques like shaving cream marbling, sticker collages, crayon doodles, and stamping. These small, sturdy cards are ideal for quick, process-focused projects, such as creating personalized name cards, mini-books, or, with clever folding, a wearable chain.
Here are some creative ideas for toddler art on index cards:
Shaving Cream Marbling: Drop tempera paint or food coloring onto a tray of shaving cream, swirl with a toothpick, and press the index card onto it for a marbled effect.
Sticker Collages: Let toddlers apply stickers, glue, or cut-out paper shapes to create textured, mixed-media art.
Tape Resist Initial Art: Use painter's tape to form the first letter of the child’s name, have them fill the card with stamps or paint, and peel the tape to reveal the shape.
Stamp & Draw: Use ink pads, alphabet stamps, or markers to create vibrant patterns and designs.
Mini-Books: Use a rubber band to bind five index cards together for a simple, homemade storybook.
Math Magic: Fold the card and make precise, alternating cuts to create a chain that a child can fit through, which can then be decorated.
These projects are excellent for fostering creativity with minimal, easy-to-clean materials.
Why Card Making Is Great for Toddlers
Making cards helps toddlers practice creativity, color recognition, and hand-eye coordination. It also gives them a sense of pride when they see someone receive their artwork. Card-making is a simple way to build confidence and make sweet memories together.
2025 Update: It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since I first shared this post. My kids are much older now, but I still remember my oldest painting these cards and the joy on his face. Those early crafts are tucked away in a keepsake box, and they’re still some of my favorite memories.
Looking back at this post is super nostalgic. As my children continue to grow, they are still super creative and connected. They love making “inventions” and “crafts” from paper towel rolls and random cardboard boxes. Their artwork has gotten so much more detailed and functional:)
I love how nurturing their creativity in these early years created such a beautiful foundation. Art has always been about connection, creativity, and giving for us.
If you have little ones, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s a low-mess activity, and it’s such a sweet way to slow down, laugh together, and create something that lasts far longer than the paint ever will.
It wasn't until my daughter started snatching and decorating my blank index cards that I really realized just how appealing they are for kids. I mean check it out. Their small size makes them perfect for little hands.
When I was a kid, I collected, traded and played games with baseball cards. I also hoarded novelty erasers that were shaped like cameras, soda pop cans and Cabbage Patch Dolls and I filled photo albums with colourful stickers – many of which smelled of strawberries and vinegar.
If ATCs had been all the rage during my tween years, I probably would have channeled at least some of my creative energy into embellishing them to use as currency with my friends at school (who had killer eraser collections).
Making ATCs is easy, mostly because anything goes. But if you and your kids need some inspiration, you can try these ideas on for size…
1) Glue buttons on the cards and connect the dots with markers.
2) Draw a picture with crayons and lay a watercolour wash over top for a crayon-resist picture.
3) Poke holes in the card and run some yarn through the openings.
4) Create a watercolour wash and when dry, add some embellishments with markers.
5) Make a drawing using pencil crayons.
6) Dip a cotton swab into paint and make a dot design.
7) Glue tiny pieces of paper together to make a collage.
8) Make miniature holiday cards.
9) Get out the sewing machine and run some thread.
10) Glitter!
And so on…
You can make your own artist trading cards, or you can buy them in ready-made packs. Strathmore is my go-to brand of choice and at around $2.00 for a pack of 20 (depending on paper/canvas quality), you can’t go wrong.
Photo source: Dick Blick.
You can also purchase accessories like little bags, easels and magnetic frames to store and display the ATCs.
So what are you waiting for? Encourage your kids and students to get creative with artist trading cards! Or put them on display.
Ideas for Making Index Card Accordion Books
INDEX CARD VERSION — INDIVIDUAL PAPERS TAPED TOGETHER.
We construct and paint an accordion book using index cards, washi tape, and use various types of paint, crayons, pastels, pencils, fine point markers, pens, ink etc. When Hope was little I would create scrapbooks during naps and downtime. After she was walking, her interest in just watching me or tinkering with the supplies that I had out became a fun time of bonding and creating together. She fell in love with painting, coloring, drawing, playdough and felt play very quickly,
Use them as a memory scrapbook with photos or to document when they first start to practice or master a new painting or collage process technique, or they learn to use or master a new tool or materials.
After you finish the first process art book, I bet you'll already be strategizing your next!
Try embellishing with Neocolor II wax crayons (see this guide/review of Neocolor I and II wax crayons) and pencil scribbles.
To hold the book closed, stitch or tie a pretty ribbon, raffia or elastic band around the book.
50 More Mini Art Ideas for Index Cards -For families with older children
If your child can control a fork or spoon to feed themselves, give your child a chunky marker and start drawing lines, circles, shapes, or just let your kids scribble. Once you have a few lines drawn we will get started on the fun part… coloring it in! Be proud to show off a scribble that shows he/she is learning and interested in drawing and coloring.
**The more lines, scribbles, or shapes the harder it will be to color. The larger the sections are, the easier they are to color.
Let your kids pick a few or the whole box of markers, colored pencils, or crayons to color their picture. They can even play the game of making no color touch. That seemed to be more fun for the older kids.
Option 2
Or choose an easy paint technique for your card
Prep your setup. Cardstock or art paper is preferable to typical printer paper because it can withstand being saturated with moisture. Use low tac tape (like painter’s, masking or washi tape) to secure your paper to your painting surface and prevent it from sliding around. If your table is not easily washable, a large cutting board is a great alternative.
Paint with friendly colors. One mistake that leads to a muddy masterpiece is allowing kids access to ALL the colors at once. Instead, choose 2-3 colors that are next to each other on the color wheel and not ones that are opposite from each other. For example, blue, green and yellow are friendly. Blue and orange are not!
Scatter the paint across the page. Small hands sometimes lack the finesse needed to dip and drag paint from containers. An easy solution is to pre-dab the paint on the paper and encourage your child to swirl the colors together.
THIS IS A HUGE TIP IN HELPING YOUR CHILD'S FIRST ATTEMPTS AT ART
Experiment with unique “brushes.” Kids love to explore the marks that unusual tools make. Let them paint with their toys, dab with Q-tips, or a stamp with paper rolls. Even if you don’t own paintbrushes, a cotton ball held with a clothespin creates a similar effect.
Display Your Child’s Art with love.
After their creations are dry, use your low tack tape to “frame” the paper on the wall. Grouping the paintings together in your child’s room creates a special gallery space that your tiny artist will be proud to show off to everyone!
16+ Montessori Toddler Art Trays for Open-Ended Creativity
I always had and still have an open and accessible toddler-friendly art corner in my small Montessori-friendly home, comprising a bottom shelf equipped with most-used art resources like markers, crayons, scissors and paper, an art and craft table as well as an art trolley stocked with less-used materials like paint bottles. This art corner is one of my toddler's favourite places at home, second only to the gross motor area (with the Pikler Triangle and Wobbel board).
As a teacher, I really love an art center and STEAM options out on the shelves in my classrooms starting at 12-18 months. Making my own baby-safe materials and supplies help to facilitate a creative interest way before other classrooms.
My toddler's typical everyday art activities are self-initiated and include marker/crayon drawing and scissors work. Washi tape is her latest obsession. I recently incorporated a visual journal in our daily routine, inspired by Chalk Academy's memory journal. In the evening, we would talk about events that took place in the day (e.g. trip to the beach) and co-create a drawing that depicts those events.
On the bottom shelf of art resources, I would incorporate Montessori art trays with interesting and novel materials for her to express herself in new, creative mediums. I model the use of new art tools she has not been exposed to, but I don't dictate any end-outcomes, or provide instructions on what to create. This is so that my toddler can explore the art materials independently, focus on the process art and learn through experimentation.
These are 10+ Montessori toddler art tray activities I have put out on rotation:
1. Q-tip Paint Dabbing
Q-tips with their fine tips are great for dotting paint all over, as well as creating defined lines and shapes more accurately than paintbrushes.
I like to recycle bottle caps by using them as vessels for containing paints.
It is fun to dot paint with one Q-tip and also hold a bunch of Q-tips together to create a multiple dot effect.
2. Paint Spatter with Fork + Brush
I upcycled a plastic fork and old toothbrush for this activity. Note that this activity requires some modeling for children to understand how paint splattering can be done with the fork and toothbrush (the traditional alternative of the fork is a comb).
I first dab the bristles of the toothbrush into the paint, then rub it along the length of the fork in an outward motion. This causes small specks of paint to get dispersed and spattered onto the paper.
3. Sponge Painting
This activity is pretty intuitive for children to dip small pieces of sponge into the paint and spread over the paper.
I'll probably save used kitchen sponges (cut into small pieces) for this activity next time, to make it more environmentally-friendly.
4. Paper Chromatography
This activity leverages paper chromatography to create a color bleeding effect that is fascinating to watch. I used a washable marker to draw little colorful patterns on paper towels and provided water for my toddler to dilute the colors.
For water transfer, I provided a small pitcher of water, a vessel to pour the water into, and a syringe to draw water. In place of a syringe, droppers can be used.
It was fun to see colors spread across the paper towel and mix together. For more pronounced color bleeding, I would recommend drawing an elaborate pattern with the markers (as seen in this post by Montessori from the Heart).
5. Wooden Letter Envelope Addressing
This activity provides my toddler with the opportunity to glue wooden letters onto paper, which is a tactile way to reinforce letter recognition.
For children with advanced letter recognition skills/can spell, you could invite them to address envelopes with recipients' names. This is a great way to purpose artworks from our children as practical gifts to family and friends.
The wooden letters are from Michael's and I provided Elmer's School Glue which is washable, safe and non-toxic.
6. Hole Punching
My toddler is really interested in the hole puncher I use and requested to try it. However my hole puncher is not meant for children's use so I sourced a child-friendly version for her. I found this set of shape punchers from Fiskars.
I love the shapes in this set -- footprints, leaves and snowflakes. The little die-cut shapes could be saved for other glueing art and craft projects, particularly seasonal-themed ones (winter/Christmas).
I modeled the use of these shape punchers until my toddler was confident to try them. Initially she struggled with the paper alignment while pressing on the puncher lever but eventually managed it after multiple tries.
Note that there is a small catchment area at the bottom that can be opened to retrieve the cut paper pieces. Supervision is needed for that as the cutting mechanism is close to the catchment area.
7. Ribbon Cutting & Styling
My toddler enjoys baker's twine, thread and jewellery wire cutting so this is a new material for her to try her scissors on. I provided ribbons of different sizes and textures to enhance the sensorial experience.
Trimming ribbon stray ends was definitely manageable for my toddler. She required some help with holding the ribbon in place for her to make an effective cut. I'm teaching her to hold the ribbon in a loop so it is easier to grip in one hand as the other hand wields the scissors.
8. Pinecone Painting
I love incorporating loose parts in art and craft projects. This activity invites the toddler to explore using pinecones as the paint 'stamp' or finger paint the pinecones.
I provided pinecones of varying sizes and shapes to provide a lesson on visual discrimination. It's interesting to share with toddlers that there are many types of pine trees and each bears differently shaped pinecones (which keep the pine tree's seeds safe).
Hello, Wonderful has a tutorial for painting pinecones to transform them into adorable Christmas trees.
9. Stone Painting
Another activity to repurpose nature finds little ones to bring back home! In this setup, I provided paints of strong, vibrant hues (I realised that lighter colours like yellow don't show up well on stones unless layered multiple times), paintbrushes and an assortment of stones.
Stones make great canvases for writing too! Chalk Academy has a post on how to use stones for reading and writing practice.
10. Coin Rubbing (with Pencil)
I was inspired by How We Montessori's crayon rubbing art tray and set up this coin rubbing tray. This activity requires a demonstration to show toddlers how the coins could be placed beneath the paper and how the pencil should be rubbed against the paper with the coin underneath to create the rubbed coin effect.
In place of coins, you could use leaves or seashells with interesting textures that would show up clearly on paper using this pencil rubbing technique.
11. Leaf & Flower Bud Pasting
This activity is an intuitive one, inviting toddlers to glue leaves and flowers from nature onto paper. Nature loose parts with larger and flatter surfaces like broad flower petals are easier to glue onto paper. For pieces that won't stick well, provide washi tape as reinforcement.
When the glue has dried, leaf/flower collage can be pressed in a heavy book to preserve it.
12. Dot Sticker Art
This dot sticker peeling activity is great for refining fine motor skills for toddlers.
It's also a great way for color recognition and reinforcement.
You could also encourage little ones to practise counting as they stick the dot stickers on paper, teaching them one-to-one correspondence.
These are 10+ creative dot sticker activitiesI've tried with my toddler to encourage one-to-one correspondence practice.
13. Recyclables Painting
This is a great form of heuristic play as children get to explore and recreate everyday materials into works of art.
I provided a TP (toilet paper) roll and empty egg crate for painting. Cardboard boxes make great open-ended painting canvases too.
It's an interesting experience for little ones to paint on surfaces beyond the usual paper that's not quite flat, textured and has lots of grooves and corners for them to reach into with the paintbrush. Bilateral coordination is also encouraged because toddlers have to hold/stabilise the materials while painting, vs painting on paper.
14. Light Colors on Black Paper
This activity is a refreshing one for toddlers who might be used to doing art on white paper.
I laid out a sheet of black construction paper and provided light color pencils for my toddler to doodle on it.
If you're out of black paper, you could provide white crayons with white paper to do the crayon wax resist art technique (after drawing with the white crayon, paint over with darker colours to reveal the white crayon marks).
15. Rubber Stamping
This activity is fun for creative expression and storytelling. The rubber stamp set (including the washable ink pad) is from Melissa & Doug. (Note: The ink pad lid is pretty stiff and can be hard for toddlers to open, so some assistance would be required.)
I like to invite my toddler to do the farm animal stampings and then illustrate the background (barnhouse, pond, grass fields, hay) with other art materials.
16. Seashell Outline Tracing
After I modeled drawing my handprint using a pencil, my toddler has been practising to draw hers too! To encourage this interest and work on bilateral hand use, I created this marine-themed setup that invites her to trace unique shapes of seashells and sea stars.
The fan shaped seashell and sea star are from Michael's. The oyster shell was saved from a prior dining experience.
Other everyday items you could provide that are great for outline tracing:
Cookie cutters
Number, shape and letter puzzle pieces
Bottle caps
Animal figurines
Nature loose parts like stones, leaves, twigs, pinecones and acorns
I hope your child enjoys these varied Montessori art trays
More Art & Craft Trays for Toddlers
From 16 months and Older
I just want to share with you Weston's arts and craft trays and I introduced some of these around 16 months. These trays have helped me through the busy holidays with Weston. These are all so easy to prepare and keep the little one engaged!
We used these materials:
Block Crayons
Weston loves the block crayons and has been using these almost everyday.
I got our block crayons holder from Etsy. He enjoys placing the crayons here, and a perfect way to practice hand-eye coordination.
Painting with Brushes
I just recently introduced this to him and absolutely enjoy using the different paintbrush which I got from Amazon. Our paints are from Giotto and work aprons from Etsy.
Scribbling with Crayons
These stick crayons aren't really a favourite, but I love giving him different options to use. The holder is from here.
Stickers
Weston loves animals so I got him these real images stickers to encourage him to work on this activity. So far, he's finding it hard to place the sticker on the paper but he loves identifying the animals instead LOL.
Playdough Fun
An all time favourite! We use one color at a time so I can introduce colors to him as well. I try to make our own playdough, but if I don't have the time, I just let him use the commercial ones. These stampers and moulders are all from here.
Dot Painting
I think Weston loves removing and placing the lid back (and shaking the markers) more than using it as stamps. He enjoys it though, but is distracted by the lids.. so instead of continuing working on stamping dots on a paper, he would often just play with the lids.
Finger Painting
Service 2
35 Painting Technique Ideas - For Painting Challenge Cards Or Scrapbook Pages
Welcome to the Painting Challenge! We will be focusing on the painting process rather than the outcome and hopefully there will be lots of opportunities for kids to get messy and express their creativity. This challenge is all about kids experimenting, making their own decisions and having fun with paint.
Fun painting techniques for kids, it's all about the process
Click through on the links below to get some painting technique inspiration!
Day 1: Bath Paints (by Messy Little Monster)
Day 2: Ice Painting (by Preschool Powol Packets)
Day 3: Painting Using Cling Film (by Bare Feet on the Dashboard)
Day 4: Carwash Painting (by One Time Through)
Day 5: Chalk Paints (Simple Fun for Kids)
Day 6: Remote Control Vehicle Painting (from Squiggles and Bubbles)
Day 7: Tape Resist (from Hands On: As We Grow)
Day 8: Marbling (from A Little Pinch of Perfect)
Day 9: Spin Art (from CuttingTiny Bites)
Day 10: Bubble Painting (from In The Playroom)
Day 11: Snow Painting(from Happy Hooligans)
Day 12: Handprints (from Treading on Lego)
Day 13: Crayon Resist (from Best Toys 4 Toddlers)
Day 14: Monoprinting (from Hand Made Kids Art)
Day 15: Painting with Bubble Wrap (from Red Ted Art)
Day 16: Printing with Toilet Roll Tubes (from Powerful Mothering)
Day 17: Painting with Toys (from Adventures of Adam)
Day 18: Painting on Fabric (from Witty Hoots)
Day 19: Printing with Nature (from Danya Banya)
Day 20: Salt Painting (from Creative World of Varya)
Day 21: Finger Paints (from Something 2 Offer)
Day 22: Painting on Ice (from Pink Stripey Socks)
Day 23: Blow Painting (from Kitchen Counter Chronicles)
Day 24: Painting on Newspaper (from Fun Handprint Art)
Day 25: Balloon Printing (from I Heart Crafty Things)
Day 26: Splat Painting (from Arty Crafty Kids)
Day 27: Painting on Foil (from Crafty Morning)
Day 28: Shaving Foam Painting (from Learning and Exploring Through Play)
Day 29: Painting in a Freezer Bag (from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds)
Day 30: Printing with Food (from The Gingerbread House)
Day 31: Painting with Marbles (from Peakle Pie)
Day 32: Glue Resist (from Artsy Momma)
Day 33: Magnet Painting (from Left Brain Craft Brain)
Day 34: Painting with Biscuit Cutters (from Messy Little Monster)
Paint a Map of Your Heart
Use a pen to draw and write the things you and your family love inside the heart, then add paint for a lovely keepsake. This special activity doesn’t just have to happen on Valentine’s Day!
Raised Salt Painting
For raised salt painting, a favorite kids’ art activity, draw a picture or make a squiggle design with a bottle of glue. Then cover the glue lines completely with salt and tap off the extra salt. Saturate your paint brush with watercolor paint and lightly touch to the salt-covered glue lines. Watch as the color magically travels along the salt + glue!
Create a stained-glass art effect with a black glue “lead” design filled in with colorful translucent watercolors. Mix a tablespoon or so of black tempera or acrylic paint into a half-empty bottle of glue, replace the cap, and shake well. Squeeze out the black glue to draw a picture on your paper. Once it’s completely dry, paint in the sections with watercolor paint.
Create the Starry Night Sky Effect with salt
Sprinkle a little salt over a still-wet watercolor painting for a beautiful starry night sky or mottled effect. The salt absorbs the water in the watercolor paint, leaving white spots in some areas and concentrated pigment in others.
The Watercolor Resist Technique
Use crayons or oil pastels to draw a picture (abstract or realistic – anything goes; we love to create ocean art with this technique), then paint over the drawing with watercolor paints. The waxy crayons or oil pastels will resist the water-based watercolors, creating a simple but almost magical effect.
Watercolor Butterfly Symmetry Prints
Create beautiful, symmetrical butterfly wings with translucent watercolor paint. Fold a piece of paper in half, open back up, and draw the body and wings of a butterfly with a crayon or oil pastel. Now use a lot of wet watercolor paint to paint one side of the butterfly. Press the other side of the paper to the wet paint, and open to reveal your symmetrical butterfly print!
Make Flowers with Paper Plates
To make these paper plate flowers, inspired by Pink Stripey Socks, cut a few flower shapes from paper plates in decreasing sizes and staple or glue them together in the center. Paint your flowers with watercolor paint. You can also embellish them with additional doodles and drawings with markers or chalk markers after they dry.
Wet-on-Wet Watercolor Shapes
Experiment with the wet-on-wet watercolor technique by using cookie cutters! We love to cut the shapes out and glue them onto notecards.
9. The Watercolor + Cling Wrap Technique
Cover a wet watercolor painting with gently scrunched up cling wrap and let dry overnight for an amazing geometric effect. The cling wrap forces the watercolor paint to concentrate where the plastic touches the paper creating intricate geometric designs.
Watercolor Art Ideas for Kids
Watercolor art ideas for kids using simple art supplies you already have at home! Updated December 2025 There is so much you can do with
How to Paint Watercolor Shapes
Experiment with the wet-on-wet watercolor technique by using cookie cutters to make watercolor shapes! These make great notecards.
Stencil play introduces children to art in a way that feels safe, achievable, and exciting. The clear outline gives young learners a starting point, which reduces hesitation and encourages experimentation. Children quickly realize that they can create recognizable shapes, and that success builds momentum.
As they repeat the process, their hands grow steadier and their attention deepens.
Each attempt becomes a chance to refine movement and decision making. The predictability of stencils allows children to focus on color choice and creative expression.
Over time, they begin adding personal touches, showing growing independence. The experience supports sensorial learning as children feel textures and observe patterns.
Emotional resilience also develops because mistakes feel manageable. Confidence grows when children see their ideas take shape. This early success nurtures a mindset of “I can try again.” That belief carries into other areas of learning.
Each experience strengthens coordination, decision making, and expressive thinking. As children repeat familiar motions, their movements become more controlled and intentional. This steady progress fuels pride and curiosity. Over time, stencil work becomes a bridge to more open ended creative art ideas for toddlers.
12 EASTER CRAFTS YOU CAN MAKE WITH ONE TEMPLATE
Of course you can use any stencil in these 12 ways.
For the upcoming holiday, I had plans to make one Easter craft – bunny bags. Yet, when finishing up the bags, the wheels in my head started moving.
I started to think of more craft ideas that would use the exact same Easter bunny template. That seemed so efficient too – to use the same cute bunny template to make all the Easter crafts.
One thing led to another – and I’ve compiled 12 Easter crafts that you can make with this one printable.
12 Cute Bunny Crafts
From Easter decor to kids crafts, they are all here – so is this simple free Easter bunny template.
Listed below are 12 easy Easter crafts that all use the same free printable bunny template.
1. Easter Bunny Bags With Cotton Balls
When we used to have Easter egg hunts at my Grandma’s house, we always needed a place to store the goodies that we found inside the eggs. Our grandma would give us a gallon ziplock bag with our name on it to carry our goodies home.
Rather than ziplock bags, how cute would it be to use these cute Easter bunny bags?
You could also use them for Easter gifts, hostess gifts, or other festive goodies 🙂
It’s one of the Easter crafts we are sharing today that takes minutes to make and is such a cute touch.
BUNNY BAG MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template (see link above)
Craft bags
Card stock or even construction paper
Pom-poms or cotton balls for the tails
Scissors
Glue
This bunny bag could not be simpler.
Using card stock or even construction paper, simply trace and cut out the bunnies. Then, glue each bunny to a craft bag. Add a pom-pom or a cotton ball for the tail.
As far as the bags and the card stock, you can be as creative as you’d like with this Easter bunny craft.
There are lots of patterned papers, sparkly papers, and patterned bags. I kept mine simple with plain bags and card stock with a subtle texture for this paper rabbit craft.
2. Burlap Easter Banner Craft
How cute is this burlap banner? I recently posted an article on how to make these burlap banners for St. Patrick’s Day.
I loved them so much that I thought a bunny banner Easter decor would be a nice replacement for the shamrocks that had taken stock on our mantel.
Additionally, the Easter banner garland craft takes under an hour to make – and could not have been easier. I love a craft that I have long finished before my son wakes up from his nap.
BUNNY BURLAP BANNER MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Foam brush
Acrylic paint
Burlap – I loved using cardboard backed burlap sheets.
Ribbon for stringing the letters together
Cotton balls or pom-poms for the tails
Scissors
Hot Glue
Since I already posted detailed steps on how to make this banner, I’m going to link over to my burlap banner article.
If you are hosting the holiday dinner or looking for an Easter bunny craft, this is a cute one that turns out beautifully, doesn’t break the bank, and won’t use up all your time. Perfect bunny craft for adults.
3. Adorable Easter Craft Cards
I love having my son make cards for others. I think it instills such a great message to spend time making something special for someone else.
Not to mention, it makes the recipients so happy to get a cute piece of mail from him.
These cards are really easy – they take five minutes and use the same bunny template. You can also make it one of your kids Easter crafts by having your child decorate or color the bunny.
Or, you can send as is – with a cute piece of scrapbook paper and a pom-pom.
EASTER BUNNY CRAFT CARD MATERIALS:
Bunny template (and Easter Bunny Sayings – in Resource Library)
Card stock for bunny and card
Cotton ball or pom-pom for tail
Scissors
Glue
If kids are decorating: paint, markers, googly eyes, etc
You can’t go wrong sending a cute card to someone – and when the Easter bunny craft only takes a few minutes, even better!
4. Easter Egg Hunt Markers
Easter egg hunts can be a little hard for little kids – especially since they are trying to keep up with the older ones.
A simple way to help them find eggs is to put little egg markers, where eggs are hidden for them. Then, explain to the older ones to not find eggs near the egg markers. It also makes for a fun Easter craft. Kids especially can help with this Easter activity because it is so simple.
EGG HUNT MARKER MATERIALS:
Bunny template
Card stock or construction paper
Popsicle stick
Scissors
Glue or tape
Simply glue or tape a bunny template to a popsicle stick and place it in the ground.
Have the little ones look for the bunnies for a fun Easter workout 🙂
You could also use the popsicle stick markers to create little signs for the hunt – such as follow the path to the backyard signs or “Bunny Crossing” signs. They are another easy Easter bunny craft that you could do with your kids.
5. Popsicle Stick Bunny Easter Crafts
While you have your popsicle sticks out, have your child decorate a few bunny templates as Easter crafts. They could color them, paint them, adorn them with googly eyes or feathers – or whatever you have around your house.
POPSICLE STICK BUNNY MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Popsicle sticks
Tape
Decorating materials: Markers, cotton balls, paint, googly eyes, or anything you have
After your child has finished decorating their bunnies, simply tape or glue the bunnies to popsicle sticks for kids to play with for a fun Easter craft.
My son is obsessed with this song “The Finger Family,” and he loved creating a bunny family with these.
He also loved that we were both working on bunnies together. As I was working on the bunny banner garland, he was decorating his bunnies… kind of like parallel play 🙂
6. Easter Bunny Card Stock Banner
Another type of banner you could make is a card stock one. The materials are a little easier to gather for this Easter banner craft, rather than the burlap one (although the burlap one is more fun :).
CARD STOCK BUNNY BANNER MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Card stock of your choice – textured, patterned, plain you can be creative here 🙂
Ribbon for threading the bunnies
Hole punch
Cotton balls or pom-poms for the tail
Scissors
Glue or tape
Just trace your bunnies onto card stock, punch holes in their ears, thread onto the ribbon, and glue on the tail.
Additionally, if you have older kids, they could make this banner craft for Easter to decorate the dining room or their bedroom. I would have loved to do this Easter craft growing up 🙂
Kids that are older than toddlers, but not old enough to make the banner on their own, could practice their fine motor skills by threading the bunnies onto the ribbon.
Last, you could write a message across the bunnies – such as “Happy Easter” or “Jesus Has Risen.”
7. Easter Bunny Wreath Craft
Another fun decoration and Easter craft for kids to help with is an Easter bunny wreath. It’s one of those Easter crafts that can occupy kids for hours.
I cut bunnies out of foam, and then arranged them into a wreath. My son then painted the bunnies – and we hung it up on the wall.
EASTER BUNNY WREATH MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Foam or even cardstock
Ribbon for hanging up
Glue
Scissors
The tricky part of this Easter bunny craft was arranging those bunnies in a perfect circle. So, I used a paper plate. I folded it in half, and then cut a circle from the inside – leaving just a thin outer ring.
I then used this ring to line the bunnies up in a perfect circle, carefully gluing the bunnies to each other.
Afterward, I had my son go to town decorating the bunnies with paint 🙂 He loved it and painting all of the bunnies, and it kept his attention for a long time. It was definitely a kids’ craft success.
8. Easy Bunny Basket
Similar to the bunny bags listed above, glue an Easter bunny from the template to any kind of basket or container, and make a little Easter bunny basket. It’s a simple Easter craft that you can make from anything you have laying around your house.
I made this one with an empty plastic cashew container. I was about to toss it in recycling when the idea popped into my head.
EASTER BUNNY BASKET MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Some kind of box or basket – look at your recycling for boxes 🙂
Card stock or construction paper
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue
After washing out the cashew container, I cut and glued my card stock bunny template to the sides of the container. The top edge looked like it needed a little something extra – so I put ribbon about the perimeter. I then glued a bunny to the front, and voila – a recycled Easter basket craft!
This is a great project to do with kids who love holiday crafts. You can be as creative as you would like finding things to turn into Easter baskets. You could even use a pipe cleaner as the handle 🙂
9. Easter Felt Fun
My number one crafting material is and will always be felt. So, my Easter crafts wouldn’t be complete without incorporating it.
My son also loves felt, and I’ve made him a few felt busy boxes. He played with them during quiet times or even at church when he was younger.
The felt scenes occupy him for so long – and allow him to be creative.
So, why not make a 10-minute felt-scape with a bunny scene?
EASTER BUNNY FELT-SCAPE MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Felt
Piece of cardboard, foam, or something similar to glue the background to
Scissors
Glue
For this Easter bunny craft, first hot glue the background piece of felt to the cardboard or foam. Then, simply cut a few bunnies along with a few other shapes out of felt using the bunny template.
Don’t glue anything down but the background, as your child will have fun arranging and re-arranging these into a scene for a fun Easter DIY craft.
10. Easter Basket Tags
This one is a simple yet elegant Easter craft. Use the bunny template as tags to label Easter baskets, hostess gifts, or even the bottles of wine you’re bringing to Easter dinner.
All you need is the bunny template, a hole punch, ribbon, and a marker.
It certainly puts a cute touch on your gifts, turning them into Easter crafts.
11. Easter Food Labels
With all of the food allergies and food preferences out there, I LOVE going to a party and seeing that the food is labeled. You know exactly what’s in something and whether it is for you – or not.
If you have a few extra bunnies laying around, simply write the names of your dishes on the cards (this is especially helpful for buffet-style meals), so your guests will be eating at ease.
If Easter dinner isn’t a buffet, use the bunny template as place cards – or even have your child decorate them as such.
12. Easter Bunny Garland
Last but not least, use the bunny template to create bunny garland. This is another quick craft that brings a lot of festivity.
BUNNY GARLAND MATERIALS:
Easter Bunny template
Fishing line (or ribbon)
Glue
Scissors
Tape
Simply cut out about 6 bunnies for each string of garland using the bunny template. Then use a drop of hot glue or scotch tape to attach the bunny to the fishing line.
It’s a super simple Easter craft and it turns out cute.
With this easy bunny template, you can create 12 simple Easter crafts. I’ve personally made all of them – and they are simple, easy ideas that are fun and festive.
You can work alongside your kids, crafting Easter banners while they decorate bunnies. Kids love doing things with their parents, so these ideas are perfect for just that 🙂
With these simple do-it-yourself Easter crafts and free printable bunny template, you can most certainly bring simple festivity to your Easter holiday.
Superscript
The Best Glue or Adhesive for Crafts
A good to know article for parents
At some point, arts and crafts projects will require some glue. Whether you’re helping kids make slime or collages, having the right glue on hand is going to be important. We’re including a range of options, from classic liquid glue to glue sticks if you prefer arts and crafts with a little bit less mess.
Elmer's Glue Stick (E579), Disappearing Purple
Kid-Friendly and Mess-Free
While liquid glue might be what most of us remember from school, this classic glue stick is the runner-up. The glue looks purple when you use it, so you know where it was applied, and then it dries clear.
This is a seven-pack of kids’ glue, so it’s great for parents who need to stock up on school supplies at the beginning of the year or teachers who need to make sure there’s enough glue for all their students. This pack comes with one clear craft glue stick.
Gorilla Kids Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks
A Smart Two-pack of Glue Sticks
If you like how durable liquid Gorilla Glue is, you’ll like the brand’s kid-friendly glue sticks. These are disappearing purple sticks, so they apply purple and then dry clear.
You’ll get two kids’ glue sticks in this economical set. This glue is also compatible with a wide array of mediums including fabric, wood, foam board, felt and various forms of plastic.
Best for Art Class
Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
Tacky glue is an ultra-strong, all-purpose adhesive that can be used for gluing all kinds of materials—paper, metal, glass, ceramics, and most plastics. It dependably bonds quickly and dries clear, giving your artwork a refined, professional finish.
Crafts are one of many Tacky Glue uses—especially crafts you do with your children, as Tacky Glue is also nontoxic and completely safe for kids to use for their art projects. Case in point: this cute ombre monogram letter, which is perfect for all ages. To create this distinctive piece, all you need is Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, a papier-mâché letter, buttons, paint, and a disposable foam brush. Get creative with shapes, sizes and shades!
Mini Glue Dots(R) with Dot N Go(R)
Dispenser provide a strong, permanent hold for small items.
GLUE DOTS- Mini Glue Dots are double-sided, acid-free adhesives for permanently bonding small items like buttons, charms, intricate die cuts, jewels, tiny bows and sequins. Glue Dots bond to most surfaces including paper, plastic, metal, wood, foam, textiles and more.
A safe and easy adhesive solution, our sticky dots are double-sided instant-bonding adhesives perfect for home, office, and school projects. They're an ideal adhesive for all kinds of model railroading smaller projects. without worry of drips or spills. Since they're clear you can also use them for adhering interior graphics to structure windows. Mini Glue Dots are acid free, photo safe, non-toxic, and come in the easy-to-use Dot N Go dispenser.
Our traditional roll on Ad Tech Permanent Glue Runner™ is the perfect choice for home, office, craft and school projects, bonding instantly to foam, paper, wood and more. Our runner is convenient to use, easy to refill, and you can take it anywhere. It just rolls on like the white out runners, so it is mess free. Ideal for scrapbooking, paper crafts, gift wrapping and more, the Glue Runner is acid free, photo safe and non-toxic and offers a full 8.75 yards of adhesive. Refill cassettes sold separately.
Mod Podge
Mod-podge is a glue, a sealer and a finish that works well on
paper, plastic, glass, wood and even fabric projects.
The fantastic thing about Mod Podge is that it can be used on almost any surface! You can use it to decorate tin, cardboard, glass, wood, craft foam, most plastics, Paper Mache, and more!
nontoxic and completely safe for kids to use for their art projects.
NOTE - One important thing to remember- All Mod Podge formulas are essentially the same in which they can all do three things- gluing, sealing, and finishing. The finish or use may be different, but they are all capable of those three things. Don’t forget that.
Here's a simple guide if you need a specialty finish:
***BTW-They even have Glow in the dark Mod-Podge
You can also try their specialty finishes, depending on the project you are working on. I have used Original Mod Podge for almost 50 years and only choose to use specialty finishes when, needed a waterproof solution for an item that needs to be dishwasher safe or used outdoors.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using it
# Mod Podge dries really fast, which makes it tough to keep your brushes from becoming sticky projects themselves. White vinegar can salvage paint brushes, but sponge brushes are pretty much trashed.
# Avoid bubbles by allowing time between coats for your Mod Podge to dry. If bubbles do emerge, gently smooth them out with your fingers.
Here's how to use Mod Podge with glitter without losing your mind:
# Coat your hands in baby powder to keep the glitter from sticking.
# Catch loose glitter in coffee filters, foil or a paper towel so that when you're done, you can just fold the filter and dump the remaining glitter back in the container.
# Clean up stray glitter with baby wipes or a lint roller.
To evenly apply tiny sections of glitter, carefully brush on Mod Podge and pour the glitter on while it's still wet.
TOP 10 CRAFT SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND FOR KIDS
Exploring How to Use Glitter
Valentine’s Heart Suncatcher (SO EASY)!
I’ve had contact paper sitting around for quite a while and decided it was time to use it! I had a snow (ice) day today and wanted a fun valentine’s craft for my toddler.
You will need:
-tissue paper in different colors
-contact paper
-tape
-glitter
-construction paper
I used pink construction paper to cut out the heart. I simply folded the paper in half and cut out the heart shape.
Next, I cut out a smaller heart from the middle of the heart. This made a nice border.
I cut out contact paper and put the heart on top of it. To get the contact paper to stay still and smooth, I put tape on the edges to keep it down.
Here comes the fun part! Decorate! The heart is on the sticky contact paper, so anything will stick to it. My little girl used glitter and cut up pieces of tissue paper.
I underestimated how much she would love using glitter!
If she had a choice she would’ve just used glitter…all of it!
She LOVED this activity, so much that we made a few suncatchers! They make great presents for families.
When your child is done decorating (or they’ve used all of the glitter), put another sheet of contact paper (sticky side down) on top of the heart. Cut out the extra contact paper around your heart.
Then you are done! Hang it in a window that gets sunlight! You can hole punch and put a string on it or use contact paper to put it on the window. We will definitely make this again as she loved it soooo much! It’s a great craft idea for any age!
Since tomorrow is Valentine’s day and it’s currently snowing outside, the sky is cloudy. I couldn’t get a great picture of the finished product, but will post the pictures anyway. Keep in mind that the glitter is colored and will shine brightly when the sun is out but today it is cloudy!
How to add Glitter To Anything Without It Falling Off!
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been in love with anything that has glitter! I think that glitter makes anything and everything look better. I recently went on a glittering spree with mod podge and gold glitter and now I have a bunch of stuff covered in glitter! haha Two of my favorite things that I “glittered” are my paddle brush and make-up brushes. My paddle brush was just a plain purple brush and I have several brushes that are the same and wanted to be able to tell them apart quickly.
All you need is:
Mod Podge (Make sure it's the GLOSSY one!)
Your Favorite Color Glitter (I just got mine from walmart)
Foam Brush (I found these work better to spread the mod podge than regular paint brushes)
First you want to make sure the item is clean, wash it with some soap and water or wipe it down with a damp cloth and dry it. Then apply a layer of mod podge over the object with your foam brush. You might want to work in sections depending on the object so you don’t get mod podge all over your hands and so you can set it down to dry without messing up the glitter. Sprinkle the glitter on top of it and make sure all of the mod podge is covered and let the layer dry. (I worked over a piece of cardboard so that I could pour the excess glitter back in the bottle)
[Sprinkling the glitter after applying the mod podge leaves a smoother finish as opposed to mixing the glitter with the mod podge then applying it.]
If you want the glitter layer to be really opaque (like me) then apply another layer of mod podge on top of the first one and sprinkle glitter over it again and let it dry. Once the second layer has dried apply another layer of mod podge over the glitter and let it dry. This seals in the glitter so it won’t fall off the object while you’re using it, and it’ll keep its glittery shiny finish if you used the glossy mod podge. Let it dry for several hours before you use it just to be safe, then whatever object you choose should be beautiful and glittery! (:
Glittering Genius
Glitter is a wonderful thing. It adds sparkle and fun to any project.
But let’s be honest.
It’s very annoying to use.
Once it gets onto a surface, it never goes away. I’ve figured out an easy, no-mess way to apply glitter that doesn’t require any fancy materials. In fact, you probably have all the supplies already.
Ready? Here we go.
First, line a pie pan with aluminum foil. Make sure the sheet of foil is big enough to wrap over the sides of the pan.
Pour some glitter into the lined pan. Shake the pan to distribute the glitter evenly.
Put glue on the item that you want to glitter. I really like Creatology foam glue. It sticks to foam, wood, and plastic, and it’s easy to find in any craft store. Mod Podge works well too, but mine was nearly empty and I had another use in mind for it (more on this later).
Dip the glued item into the glitter and tap off the excess back into the pan.
When you’re all finished, tilt the pan so that the extra glitter falls to one side. Roll the foil into a funnel shape and pour the glitter back into its container for future use. I glittered my sorority letters onto some foam squares from Target. As well as some pill bottle lids. I let the glue dry, then topped the lids with a coat of Mod Podge to seal the glitter. I don’t want glitter in my medicines. Ew.
I hope this method works for you! Let me know what you think if you try it.
Crafting With Kids: Salt “Glitter” Shaped Garland
Supplies for Salt “Glitter” Shape Garland:
Fine or coarse table salt
Food colors
Scissors
Colored construction paper or cardstock
Craft glue
Paint brushes
Jars or Bowls
An old shoe box
String
Hole punch
Part 1
The first step is to make your colored salt. We made five colors: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
1. Pour some salt out into each jar
2 & 3. Add a few drops of food color and stir until all the salt is colored
4. Sit back and admire your handy work.
We didn’t have green coloring, so we mixed blue and yellow!
Part 2
Now time for some cutting.
Draw some simple shapes on the colored cardstock and cut them out. We did triangles, circles, stars, squares and rectangles. I used a bowl and coffee mug to draw the circles.
Part 3
Time to glue and glitter!
1. Mix craft glue with some water so that it is thin enough to spread, but not runny
2. Brush glue onto shapes
3. & 4. Sprinkle colored salt onto glue, using the cover of the shoe box as a lid.
Part 4.
Here’s another option for covering the shapes with glitter!
1. Paint the shapes with glue and place in the box
2. Dump glitter into box
3. & 4. Cover the box and shake, shake, shake!!!
I asked Kieran which method he preferred, and he said “Shaking!” So, we finished all the other shapes this way. It was definitely faster than sprinkling!
We also decided to try an experiment and use all the colors of glitter at once on some white shapes!
3. Place shapes in box, and add glitter as shown
4. The result was a rainbow moon!
Part 5
Once all the shapes are dry, tap off the extra salt. If you have a spray fixative, you can spray them to ensure all the salt stays put. Now we can make the garland! We did this part the next day, all that shaking was exhausting!
1. Punch holes in your shapes
2 & 3. Thread them onto string, tying them as you go to secure them.
4. Ta da! I think he likes it! We hung it up in his art space to display
Art Glitter can be found at ArtGlitter.com.
Setacolor Expandable Paint can be found at FiberOnAWhim.com, joggles.com, or DharmaTrading.com.
He was extremely happy with his creation, and couldn’t wait to show his Papa. This is a deceptively simple activity, but one that has a lot of bang for the buck! Have fun crafting with kids!
Glitter Printing Process Art
Do you love glitter? Do you have a shelf full of glitter bottles? Are you convinced that everything would be better with glitter? Then this glitter printing process art activity is for you! (And your kids, of course!) This was a completely spontaneous activity that my daughters and I really enjoyed! I’ve even got a tip for keeping the glitter contained.
Materials needed for Glitter Printing Process Art:
Paper or card stock (light colors are best)
Glue sticks
Multiple colors of glitter
Large packing paper
I apologize for not having in-process shots for you, but my hands were a wee bit busy with this activity. No worries, though, it’s really simple.
Step 1: Lay the large packing paper on the table or floor. We have lots of leftover paper that we didn’t use in our moving boxes, and this was a great way to use it.
Avoid using a tablecloth because you will want to be able to throw this away when you are done. This is how you are going to contain that glitter!
Step 2: Sprinkle glitter all over the packing paper. Do stripes of different colors, mix colors together, get a little bit wild and creative!
Step 3: Have your child draw on her paper with the glue stick. Any design she can think of. We did swirly designs, but you could draw actual pictures instead.
Just remember that the glue dries pretty quickly, so you will want to make the design simple. You will not be able to add more glue after the next step or your glue stick will get full of glitter.
Step 4: Press the paper, glue side down onto the glitter. Rub the back of the paper for a few seconds. Make sure to rub the whole thing.
Step 5: Take a look at your beautiful work of art!
I recommend laying the pictures on a flat surface while the glue dries and then gently shaking them over top of the packing paper to knock off any excess glitter.
Step 6: Throw away the packing paper. Fold all of the sides and corners inward to create a pocket with the glitter, so that it doesn’t get spread all over.
That’s it! You can now display your glitter prints! We hung ours close to a window so that we could see the light sparkling off the glitter.
Glitter Fish Craft
Do your kids love glitter? This printable Glitter Fish craft is a quick and easy way to keep kids busy so you can make lunch
Glitter fish was made out of desperation! I needed an extra craft for out Ocean Theme Fun Friday (click here to see about that). So what do kids love more than just a coloring craft? GLITTER OF COURSE! At my house, it’s better than paint, and that’s saying something. I resized and repurposed some ocean art and a craft was born. Add in some popsicle sticks, glue and glitter to let the fun begin!
What you will need.
Crayons
Elmer’s glue, stick or liquid
Hot glue gun to glue fish to the popsicle stick (optional)
Popsicle sticks, the wide tongue depressor kind works the best like this.
Glitter Fish Printable color page (Located in our printable library).
Instructions on how to create your Glitter Fish Craft
After you have downloaded your Glitter Fish Printable. Go ahead and let your child color all the fish they want. Allow them to take their time or scribble with ONLY ORANGE like my 3 year old (it’s his favorite color right now probably because orange is my older son Luke’s favorite color).
Now you are ready to glitter! Yipee! It’s time for a MESS (now remember messes make memories so don’t stress). Add a little glue (not too much or it will run) where you want your glitter to be.
Get ready to jump up and down! It’s glitter time!! WOOHOO! Your entire fish can be covered or just a little here and there, this is your art so glitter what you want. Shake your paper around to get the glitter to cover all of the glue then shake it onto another piece of paper or on the table for another fish.
Add any other embellishments like sequins, glitter, and so on. I happened to have Barilla Pastina on hand which are teeny star-shaped pasta that I let the kids use to decorate their craft with.
Now that you have glittered your fish, go ahead and cut them out. You can also heat up your glue gun if you choose to use it.
You will need to apply some pressure to your fish when being glued to your popsicle, but be careful not to get burned.
Glitter Fish Playtime!!
Your kids can run around with them or they can put on a show if they are old enough. These 2 were putting on a play for me. If only I could understand what all that gibberish was!
Ryker (my 3 yr old) wanted the shark to eat that turtle! After the shark got full he and the turtle became friends. Although if I was that turtle I would have been a little irritated at that shark. I guess that is a lesson in forgiveness for me. 🙂
*All art is my own so please do not alter or pass off as your own. Thanks!
Do your kids LOVE glitter as much as we do?
Service 1
MAKING ADORABLE CARDS FROM TODDLER ART
Looking for an easy way to make homemade birthday cards from toddlers? Check out this easy trick – perfect for card making with toddlers.
I’m always looking for cute greeting card ideas for my kids to make.
There are so many fun cards out there that creatively use kids’ hands and footprints.
Although cute, I always had trouble getting one decent hand or footprint for a greeting card.
Not to mention the mess it makes.
As soon as my son was old enough to paint, I had him “paint” with cotton swabs, instead of paint brushes, so he could easily dab the paint onto the paper.
This kept the paint really confined but still allowed him to create artwork. (Sponge brushes and foam stampers are great for making cards with toddlers too.)
As any toddler’s paintings would be, my little guy’s artwork was very abstract. 🙂
I was having him make birthday cards for all of the August birthdays in my family. Yet, rather than give messy toddler paint prints, I thought of a great way to showcase his art but to also turn it into a nice-looking greeting card.
Homemade Birthday Cards From Toddlers
So after my son did a little abstract painting, I did a little cutting and gluing – and voila! Don’t the birthday cards look nice?!
Materials For Making Greeting Cards From Toddlers
Making these greeting cards is so simple. The materials are so easy too. Most likely, you will even already have all of these things.
Card stock – I like having toddlers make artwork on card stock because it is so thick. When they layer paint on paint on paint, the card stock works really well. I mostly used this bright color pack. The brighter the colors, the better the cards turned out. (Looking at the purple card (below), I wished I used a brighter color for the actual card.)
Kids paint – I love this washable Crayola paint. Lots of color choices keep my son very interested in painting!
Paintbrushes – sponge brushes, cotton swabs or stampers work too! My son loves making greeting cards with these foam painting stampers. He has this farm set, but they have transportation ones, animal ones, sea-life ones, and even holiday sets too! He only uses the paintbrush for so long, but the foam stampers keep him interested for longer
Scissors – just the regular ole pair you have laying around the house 🙂
Glue – or even tape 🙂
Sharpie/Marker (if needed) – I used a sharpie to add the balloon strings. You could use ribbon or pipe cleaners or anything else you find around your house.
Stickers or embellishments (if desired)
Making Cards With Toddlers
After my toddler painted on the card stock papers, I let them dry for a few hours or so. Then, I cut his paintings into shapes – cupcakes, presents, balloons, and layered cake for the birthday cards.
I then took a new piece of card stock (a contrasting color), folded it in half, and trimmed off the top (unless I was going for a tall card – like the balloons and train). After, I took the birthday items that I cut and glued them down to the card.
I even did a train cut-out for my train-loving dad. I used a nearby water bottle cap to trace those perfect circles 🙂
USING PATTERNED SCRAPBOOK PAPER FOR TODDLER CARDS
After making cards for all the August birthdays, I was running low on paintings, so I substituted printed scrapbook paper (here is a similar one) that looked like a cupcake wrapper.
The greeting card turned out so cute that I wished I thought of it sooner 🙂
BIRTHDAY SHAPES
As far as the shapes, I free-handed them as I cut. You could certainly draw on the paper and then cut.
ADDING EMBELLISHMENTS
While making cards with toddlers, you can dress up the cards by adding some embellishments to the front of the card. I added the word happy with letter stickers because the present birthday card looked a little plain.
A PERSONAL TOUCH
Last, to give the greeting cards just a little more of a personal touch, I had my son decorate the inside. He colored with his crayons and picked out stickers. This gave him another opportunity to be creative making birthday cards.
I just love how the birthday cards turned out! My son got to be as creative as he wanted with no restrictions (like finger prints or footprints), and I got to help my toddler create something to give to others that was refrigerator-worthy.
Card-Making For Older Kids
You can easily alter this activity for older kids by having them paint and then cut and glue their shapes. It makes a fun alternative to them drawing cards – and it gives kids practice with scissors and putting shapes together to make things.
Birthdays, Valentines, Anything!
Even though I used birthday shapes for this batch of greeting cards, you could easily alter the shapes for holidays too. These are perfect birthday cards from toddlers to dad or mom. They also are great Valentine’s cards to make with toddlers.
Making cards with toddlers is a win-win for everyone involved. Your child gets to do a fun activity, you get to save some money with homemade cards, and your family members/friends get a creative, cute card, showcasing your child’s work.
And, the best part is that there is no need for hand or footprints.
Now that’s a win right there 😉
DIY Silhouette Christmas Cards
This particular one is crazy easy to make and will turn out gorgeous each and every time.
As it’s super simple it’s a great project to make with toddlers (let them decorate and you be the one assembling), preschoolers, kids in kindergarten and older kids. The older, the more of the process they will be able to make on their own.
There are many different ways you can make the base of the card, I’ll talk about them a bit later, so this one really is perfect to make in the classroom for kids to make a gift for their parents and family.
Ready to start making your own? Let’s get crafting!
How to Make Silhouette Christmas Cards
What you need
a A4 sized or letter sized sheet of white heavier print paper or white construction paper – alternatively you can also use blank cards
sheet of black paper
coloring supplies (we used brush markers – Tombows are my pick)
scissors
glue
For decorating the base a number of materials can be used – watercolors, scrap paper, crayons, finger-paints, paints, stamps… You name it! Offer your kids a variety of coloring supplies and let them decorate their base however they see fit.
To make the cards even more festive, you can also use glitter glue or gemstones to add shiny accents.
Follow the Step by Step Tutorial
Fold the sheet of white paper in half. This large format is perfect for younger kids.
For older kids, cut the sheet of paper in half, and fold those in half – one sheet of paper will make 2 cards. Any other dimension is perfectly fine too.
Color your cards however you see fit. Get as creative as possible!
I decorated mine with a “ombre” look-ish, alternating different matching colors with brush markers. Cover the whole surface (or leave white around the edges).
Place your card on top of a sheet of black paper and trace around it with a pencil.
Cut out the black rectangle.
Trim it down a little, both in width and length.
This will make the edges of the base card show, and will add a nice visual effect to the card.
Cut out a festive shape out of black paper.
Gently fold it in half (don’t crease) and cut out a Christmas tree shape. This should be easy for most kids, for younger kids you will have to prepare this step.
Apply glue on the back of the black paper.
Glue it on top of your card.
Another shape that’s easy to make is the Christmas bauble. Trace around a round object, draw a straight line and a small rectangle shape on top of the circle shape.
Cut out the bauble – no need to fold this one as you will cut the hanging string.
Apply glue on the back of the black paper.
Glue it on top of your card.
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EASY THANK YOU CARDS FOR KIDS TO MAKE
With the holidays over and those playrooms bursting with new toys, it’s about time to start sending thank you notes.
I'm a strong believer in the importance of thank you cards from kids – when somebody puts the time and thought into buying a gift, they should get a special, handwritten note in return.
With my son still being a toddler, I’m doing most of the writing for his gifts; however, he still helps make the cards – and I try to make the homemade card ideas easy and creative.
Today, I’m sharing four simple kids thank you card ideas.
These homemade thank you cards are easy and always make the fridge 🙂
Also, these homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids could be used for any occasion – not just for kids thank you cards 🙂
1. Cut-Out Thank You Card Ideas
This type of homemade card is my favorite and the simplest for younger kids like toddlers.
First, use a cookie cutter to trace a few shapes on card stock. We used stars, hearts, Christmas trees, and gingerbread people.
As far as paper, I always use card stock for homemade thank you cards from toddlers because it's thicker than construction paper. So when the paint is layered on like the ways kids love to paint, the card doesn’t bend.
I also like the colors of card stock better than ordinary construction paper. They are brighter and more fun, which definitely ups its refrigerator-worthiness.
Then, simply cut the shapes out for your child to paint on. You can then glue these shapes to a folded piece of card stock to make perfectly easy homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids.
Toddler and Baby Variation: You can also do a variation of this homemade card – which is great for younger ones: Have your child paint all freely over a piece of card stock. Toddlers could use brushes or q-tips. Younger ones could use their hands. Once dry, you can trace the cookie cutters and cut out the shapes.
I did something similar with the below Christmas trees. Using my toddler’s painted paper, I cut out strips and shaped them into trees. It’s his painting, but cut into a pretty shape.
If your child comes home from preschool or daycare with lots of “abstract” freestyle paints, you can always cut them up to make one of these cute homemade thank you cards from toddlers.
After, glue your cut-outs onto another piece of cardstock and fold into a card.
Your child can continue to decorate the homemade card – my toddler used q-tips and paint to further decorate the trees. You could also use stickers or ribbon – or scribbled markers or crayons works too.
These homemade kids thank you cards turned out so cute and were so easy for mama to oversee 🙂
2. Potato Stamped Homemade Cards
Always looking for new sensory play activities, I decided to give potato stamps a try. It was way easier than I thought it would be – and my son had a ball.
This might just be our new go-to card.
First, cut off the top of the potato. Then, press in a cookie cutter of your choice.
I thought only metal cookie cutters would work; yet, the plastic heart cookie cutter (below) went into the potato without a problem 🙂
After that, use a knife to cut the excess from around the cookie cutter, slowly moving your knife around the border of the cookie cutter.
You are left with an awesome stamp that’s easy for kids to paint.
I got a little creative and made a double-sided stamp on this potato – with a star on one side and a heart on the other.
This encouraged my son to be more involved – getting messy and flipping the potato to see the shapes. This is great for kids' messy play ideas!
This could also be a fingerpaint activity or a paintbrush activity. And, potato stamped notes don’t have to be for kids thank you cards – they could be used for any occasion or even a rainy day activity.
3. Painters Tape Lettered Kids Cards
Use painters tape to spell out a word – such as “Thanks” and then have your child paint freely.
When the paint is still a little tacky, remove the tape from the card.
Definitely use painters tape for best results. I lazily used electrical tape this time and it peeled terribly.
4. Fingerprint Balloons Homemade Card Ideas
Handprint, footprint, and fingerprint cards are usually not my favorite. It’s usually too structured for my little one; however, we got a really cute homemade card with a few single fingerprints. We turned them into letter balloons which my toddler loved.
Simply put a little of each of the colors you are using on a palette or piece of paper and have your child dip their finger into each color and then make the print.
The number of prints will depend on the number of letters in the word.
Once dry, use a sharpie to write on the letters and draw the balloon knot and string. This balloon card is definitely an easy thank you card to make.
Kids Homemade Thank You Cards Tips…
If you will be mailing the kids thank you cards, keep in mind envelope size – or you might be making an unnecessary trip to the post office. With some of the above cards, you might want to cut the card to size before starting. I always do this so I’m not cutting up my kids thank you card after he made it.
If you feel like your toddler wasn’t as involved as you would have liked during the thank you card making process, have them accessorize the cards with stickers, color on the front, inside, or back of the creation. This preserves the cards refrigerator-worthy quality but also makes it more of their own. Either way – they will be proud of their creation!
More is always better! Even if you only plan to make one thank you card, have your children paint extra, in case they run their paint-streaked hands across the creation just when you were on the way to the sink for cleanup 🙂 Or, if it doesn’t turn out the way you thought, you have a couple to choose from 🙂 Or, when you are scrambling for a birthday card for someone, you’ll have a secret homemade card stash.
My son had a great time making these homemade kid-friendly thank you cards. Arts and crafts is one of his favorite activities, as it's a special time we spend together. He also takes such great pride in giving his homemade cards to his special family members, which is super cute 🙂
Not to mention our family members love the creativity involved and appreciate the time we took to make them something special. If you are looking for some ideas for homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids, I hope these card ideas helped you out!
I do have to say, the cards definitely make the fridge 🙂
Check out some of our other toddler card ideas too!
Service 2
Rolling in Dough
Playdough serves as a versatile, sensory, and accessible art medium that fosters creativity, fine motor skills, and emotional expression in children and adults. As a tactile art form, it allows for endless experimentation through molding, sculpting, stamping, and mixing colors to create temporary, 3D masterpieces, portraits, or textured scenes.
Creating with playdough lets children feel competent ("I’m good at rolling the dough”) and proud of their accomplishments ("Hey, I made a dog”). Pounding, flattening, and squeezing are healthy and safe outlets for extra energy. They can also help children cope with strong feelings. When children seem stressed or angry, get out the playdough and props!Teach cooperation ("I can help you make your car”), and observe and compare actions ("I’m rolling my dough too”). Interactions like these contribute to development and learning, helping to prepare children for success in school and in life.
Creativity and imagination
With playdough, young children express their ideas through art and make-believe play. At the same time, they learn symbolic thinking by pretending that the playdough is something else ("That thing with the antlers is a moose”).
Older preschoolers—say, 4- or 5-year-olds—often make detailed playdough creations. With one or more friends, they may imagine themselves to be construction workers building a highway, prehistoric hunters pursuing a woolly mammoth, or pastry chefs baking and selling cookies, cupcakes, and donuts at a bakery. You can join in their pretend play too!
Language and literacy
Through playdough play at home, children practice listening to and talking with friends, siblings, and adults (you!). Materials like playdough help children build their vocabulary as they explain what they are doing. For example, when a child exclaims, "Chop!” as she brings down the plastic knife, she uses just the right word to describe her action.
Children use language to invent stories about their playdough creations. You may notice your child using facts or ideas from books you’ve read together. Children also refer to things they did or saw in their everyday lives ("This is a burrito like we had at lunch”).
When the two of you make a batch of playdough together, your child learns about print and why people write. Following the recipe helps him connect written and spoken words and learn that writing can be used for different purposes. In this case, the writing explains how to make playdough. Encourage him to roll snakes and use them to form letters. Discuss action words like pound and slice and descriptive words like mushy and sticky.
These types of experiences help children learn new words and communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively—skills they will need when they learn to read and write in the primary grades.
Science
Young children learn about science through hands-on experiences. They learn by observing, thinking, and talking about how materials feel and how they change. You can encourage scientific thinking. Provide sawdust or sand to add to the playdough and then talk about how this new kind of dough looks and feels. Introduce words like texture, grainy, smooth, and lumpy.
Your child might declare, "I’m making this flat!” as she pushes down on the playdough with the palm of her hand. Or she may say, "I’m making it soft,” as she adds water to dry playdough to make it more pliable. When you ask, "What do you think would happen if we added too much water?” you are helping her understand the scientific concept of cause and effect.
Math
Measure and count while you make a batch of playdough together. Your child can learn about measurement and numbers by filling the cup and comparing the size of teaspoons and tablespoons, and about counting as he adds the ingredients.
Children note changes in shape and size as they comment on, compare, and contrast the objects they make ("I made a triangle” and "Mine is a tiny ball and yours is big”). Others notice who has more or less playdough. Ask your child to count how many pieces she is making or to arrange her creations by size or color. Encourage mathematical thinking by asking, "What shape is that?” “Which snake is longer?” or “How many pieces do you have now?”
These play experiences encourage children to practice counting, learn about shapes (geometry) and how they relate to each other (spatial sense), and practice sorting and classifying. Such mathematical ways of thinking prepare children for learning more complex math concepts in the coming years.
Physical development
While poking, rolling, and squishing playdough, children develop the small muscles in their fingers and hands. They use hands, fingers, and tools to pound, push, poke, shape, flatten, roll, cut, and scrape. Through these manipulations, children develop eye-hand coordination, the ability to match hand movement with eye movement. They also gain strength and improve dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing, drawing, and other purposes.
Key Aspects of Playdough as Art:
Skill Development: Manipulating playdough strengthens hand muscles and improves hand-eye coordination, aiding in fine motor skill development.
Creative Techniques: Artists can roll, coil, pinch, smash, stamp, and join dough to create shapes or complex structures.
Materials & Tools: Enhance creations using cookie cutters, plasticine tools, natural items (sticks, shells, flowers), or household items like straws, pasta, and rolling pins.
Medium Characteristics: Unlike clay, Play-Doh is soft, easy to mold for young children, and can be used to make temporary art that is constantly reshaped.
Artistic Exploration: It allows for the creation of 2D, 3D, and even "sculpture portraits" by using mats or adding materials like googly eyes.
Multisensory Experience: Beyond visual, it offers tactile, olfactory (scented dough), and sometimes auditory (squishing) stimulation.
Creative Ideas:
Playdough Mats: Use printable mats to guide the creation of faces, scenes, or letters.
Texture Printing: Press textures into flat, rolled-out dough to make imprints.
Sculpting & Painting: Combine dough with paint or markers to create mixed-media, textured, or marbleized, artwork.
Dough Gardens: Create "gardens" by sticking real flowers, sticks, or foliage into a base of dough.
It serves as a therapeutic, non-permanent, artistic medium, perfect for, experimenting, with, form, and texture without the pressure of, producing, a, final, product.
Playdough is a hands-on tool for teaching STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) concepts to young learners. It can be used to model 3D structures, build electric circuits, explore chemical mixtures, and practice fine motor skills. Key activities include making conductive "Squishy Circuits" with LED lights, engineering stable bridges, and modeling biological life cycles.
Science & Technology
Squishy Circuits: Use conductive, salty playdough to create circuits with batteries and LEDs to teach electricity basics.
Chemistry Experiments: Make homemade playdough to study mixing ingredients, measuring, and changing states of matter.
Biology Models: Mold cells, DNA strands, or life cycles (like a frog or butterfly) to visualize scientific concepts.
Texture Exploration: Use tools to explore concepts like smooth, lumpy, and soft. - YouTube +5
Engineering & Math
Structural Challenges: Combine dough with straws, toothpicks, or craft sticks to build towers, bridges, or houses.
Shape & Geometry: Form 2D and 3D shapes (cubes, prisms) to count sides, corners, and vertices.
Measurement & Patterns: Practice counting, measuring, and creating patterns with stamps and cutters.
Art & Sensory
Color Mixing: Combine different colored doughs to learn about primary and secondary colors.
Creative Sculpting: Develop fine motor skills and creativity by sculpting, stamping, and using natural materials like twigs and leaves.
Do you remember the sheer delight of squishing, rolling, and molding a vibrant ball of playdough between your fingers as a child? The simple joy of creation, the endless possibilities that lay within that pliable lump? While playdough is undeniably a classic toy, its true power extends far beyond mere entertainment. It's a dynamic, tactile tool, a secret weapon in the world of early childhood education, and a fantastic gateway to hands-on STEM learning.
In a world increasingly driven by screens, finding engaging, tangible activities for children that truly spark curiosity and foster foundational skills can feel like a quest. This is where the humble, yet mighty, playdough steps in, transforming playtime into a powerful learning experience. At Incredible Kids Network!, our mission is to blend food, STEM, and the arts into one-of-a-kind "edutainment" experiences, and we know that the most effective learning happens when kids are actively engaged, getting their hands messy, and having fun. Playdough, much like our unique cooking adventures, offers this exact blend of creativity and discovery.
Getting Started: Setting Up Your Playdough STEM Station
You don't need a fancy lab or expensive equipment to create a stimulating playdough STEM environment. Many of the best tools are already in your home!
Essential Supplies:
Playdough: Store-bought or homemade. Consider making your own; it's a great science activity in itself! We'll share a simple recipe below. For certain activities, conductive playdough is a must (more on that later).
Work Surface: A large tray, cutting board, or even just a clean table surface. Cookie sheets with rims are excellent for containing mess.
Rolling Pins: Small child-sized ones are perfect, but a clean, smooth bottle or even a sturdy cardboard tube can work.
Plastic Knives and Scissors: For cutting and shaping.
Cookie Cutters: Various shapes (geometric, animals, letters) add structure and thematic elements.
Open-Ended Building Materials:
Popsicle sticks (craft sticks): Excellent for straight lines, frames, and support.
Toothpicks: Good for smaller, more intricate connections and structures.
Straws: Flexible and rigid options, great for building towers or experimenting with air flow.
Pipe cleaners: Bendable, colorful, and good for adding curves or decorative elements.
Spaghetti or pasta (uncooked): A fun, sometimes challenging, alternative to sticks for building.
Blocks or LEGOs: Can be used alongside playdough for hybrid structures.
Small Toys/Figures: To act as "load-bearing" tests or as characters in imaginative play scenarios.
Household Items: Bottle caps, buttons, beads, natural elements like small pebbles, leaves, or twigs for texture and added creative elements.
Homemade Playdough:
A Science Experiment in Itself!
Making your own playdough is a fantastic preliminary STEM activity, especially for exploring chemistry and measurement. It demonstrates how different ingredients combine and undergo a physical change to create a new substance.
Basic No-Cook Playdough Recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp cream of tartar (acts as a preservative and makes it soft)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water (adult supervision essential!)
Food coloring (optional)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
Add the vegetable oil.
Carefully add the boiling water and desired food coloring.
Stir with a spoon until combined.
Once cool enough to touch, knead the mixture on a clean surface until smooth and pliable.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
This simple process teaches concepts like dissolving (salt in water), mixing, and observing changes in states of matter as ingredients transform from separate powders and liquids into a cohesive dough.
Playdough STEM Activities by Discipline
Let's break down how playdough can be utilized across the different pillars of STEM, plus the important "A" for Arts, making it STEAM-focused.
Science (S) Activities
Science is all about observation, experimentation, and understanding the world around us. Playdough offers a safe and malleable medium for young scientists to explore.
Playdough Volcano Eruption:
Concept: Chemical reactions, acids and bases.
Activity: Have children mold a playdough volcano around a small, empty cup or container. Fill the cup with a few tablespoons of baking soda. Then, pour in vinegar (add a few drops of red food coloring to the vinegar for extra visual effect). Watch the fizzy eruption!
Learning: Kids observe the immediate reaction between the baking soda (base) and vinegar (acid) producing carbon dioxide gas. This is a primary example of how our Erupting Volcano Cakes kit makes science delicious, allowing children to create their own edible volcano that bubbles over with deliciousness, mimicking real chemical reactions in a safe, fun, and tasty way.
Extension: Experiment with different amounts of baking soda or vinegar to see how it changes the eruption. Try adding dish soap for more foam.
Fossil Dig and Imprints:
Concept: Paleontology, geology, pressure, texture.
Activity: Roll out flat pieces of playdough. Use toy dinosaurs, leaves, shells, or other textured objects to press into the playdough, creating "fossils" or imprints. Let them dry to see how the shape holds.
Learning: Children learn about how fossils are formed over time, the concept of pressure, and the different textures objects can have. They can become paleontologists, identifying "ancient creatures" from their molds.
Extension: Try using different types of clay or homemade salt dough to compare how different materials hold impressions. Our Fudgy Fossil Dig kit takes this concept further, allowing kids to excavate edible dinosaur fossils from delicious chocolate "earth."
States of Matter with Playdough:
Concept: Solids, liquids, gases (indirectly), malleability.
Activity: Discuss how playdough is a solid, but it can be changed and molded. Compare it to water (liquid) and air (gas). What happens if you try to make a ball of water? What about a ball of air?
Learning: Introduces the basic concept of states of matter and how materials behave differently.
Extension: Leave a piece of playdough out overnight – what happens to it? This introduces concepts of evaporation and hardening.
Weather Modeling:
Concept: Meteorology, cloud types, weather phenomena.
Activity: Use different colors of playdough to model various weather elements: white for fluffy clouds, grey for stormy clouds, blue for rain, yellow for sun, even a rainbow!
Learning: Kids visualize and represent abstract weather concepts, helping them understand what different clouds look like or how different weather conditions are depicted.
Deliver a complete "edutainment" experience right in your home.
Technology (T) Activities
Technology isn't just about computers and smartphones; it's about tools, processes, and innovation. Playdough can be a fantastic medium for exploring basic technological concepts.
Playdough Tools Exploration:
Concept: Tool use, function, problem-solving.
Activity: Provide a variety of playdough tools (rolling pins, plastic cutters, garlic press, cookie stampers) and let children explore how each tool changes the playdough.
Learning: Kids discover the purpose of different tools and how they can be used to achieve specific effects. This builds an understanding of basic engineering principles and tool functionality.
Extension: Challenge them to create a flat sheet without a rolling pin, or a long "noodle" without a garlic press. This encourages innovative tool use or problem-solving without traditional tools.
Conductive Playdough Circuits:
Concept: Basic electricity, circuits, conductivity.
Activity: This requires special conductive playdough (recipe below) and insulating playdough, plus a battery pack and small LED lights. Children can build simple circuits where the conductive playdough allows electricity to flow, lighting up the LED. Insulating playdough can be used to prevent shorts.
Learning: This is a truly hands-on way to understand how circuits work, what conductivity means, and the basics of electrical flow. It's a powerful introduction to electrical engineering and physics.
Conductive Play Dough Recipe:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp cream of tartar
Food coloring (optional)
Special Ingredient: 1/2 cup lemon juice or vinegar (acid for conductivity)
Special Ingredient: 2-3 tbsp additional salt (for extra conductivity)
Optional: 1 tsp glitter (just for fun, doesn't affect conductivity) Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously. The mixture will start to clump and thicken. Continue stirring until it forms a cohesive ball. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. Let cool completely before use.
Insulating Playdough Recipe: This is your basic no-cook playdough recipe from above, but without the added salt or lemon juice/vinegar. The goal is for it not to conduct electricity.
Extension: Challenge kids to build more complex circuits, or even "squishy" robots with light-up eyes.
Pattern Making with Stampers and Rollers:
Concept: Design, repetition, mechanical processes.
Activity: Provide various patterned rollers or stampers. Children can experiment with creating repeating patterns or designs on flat sheets of playdough.
Learning: Introduces the concept of design repetition, understanding how pressure and movement create different effects, similar to how machinery can produce patterns.
For more hands-on fun that ties into technology and other STEM fields, you can always Browse our complete collection of one-time kits to find the perfect themed adventure for your little learner, delivered right to your door.
Engineering (E) Activities
Engineering is about design, building, and solving problems using principles of structure and function. Playdough, with its malleability, is an ideal material for budding engineers.
Building Structures (Towers, Bridges, Houses):
Concept: Stability, balance, structural integrity, load-bearing.
Activity: Provide playdough along with building materials like popsicle sticks, toothpicks, straws, or even uncooked spaghetti. Challenge children to build the tallest tower, the strongest bridge (that can hold a small toy car), or a house with a stable roof.
Learning: Kids experiment with different shapes and connections. They learn that triangles are often the strongest shapes for support, and a wide base provides more stability for a tall structure. They experience trial and error, a fundamental part of the engineering design process. For example, a parent looking for a screen-free weekend activity for their 7-year-old who loves challenges could try to build a bridge that can support a small toy car using only playdough and toothpicks.
Extension: Introduce concepts like "load" by seeing how many small objects the bridge can hold before collapsing. Discuss why some structures are stronger than others.
Ramps and Mazes:
Concept: Gravity, force, motion, incline, spatial reasoning.
Activity: Have children create ramps of varying heights and lengths using playdough. Then, roll small balls of playdough or marbles down them. They can also create simple mazes for the balls to travel through.
Learning: They observe how gravity affects the speed of the ball, how the incline changes the force, and practice spatial planning to create effective pathways.
Extension: Introduce obstacles in the maze and challenge them to find ways to make the ball navigate them.
Simple Machines Exploration:
Concept: Levers, pulleys (simplified), wheels and axles.
Activity: While more abstract, playdough can help. Create a simple lever using a playdough fulcrum and a popsicle stick. Experiment with lifting small objects. Mold playdough wheels and try to attach them to an axle (e.g., a toothpick) to see if they roll.
Learning: Provides a basic, concrete understanding of how simple machines help us do work.
Extension: Discuss how these simple machines are used in everyday life (e.g., a seesaw is a lever, bicycle wheels are wheels and axles).
Floating and Sinking Experiment:
Concept: Buoyancy, density, displacement, design.
Activity: Give children a chunk of playdough. First, ask them to make it float. (It will likely sink if simply dropped in water). Then, challenge them to mold it into a shape that will float, like a boat or a wide, flat raft. Test different designs in a basin of water.
Learning: This is a classic engineering challenge that teaches about buoyancy and how shape affects whether an object floats or sinks, even if its material is denser than water.
Extension: See how many small objects the playdough boat can hold before it sinks, introducing concepts of capacity and weight distribution.
If you're an educator or run a group, these types of engaging, hands-on activities can be easily scaled for multiple children. We offer versatile programs for schools and groups, available with or without food components. Learn more about our versatile programs for schools and groups.
Mathematics (M) Activities
Math is everywhere, even in a ball of playdough! From counting to geometry, playdough offers countless opportunities to explore mathematical concepts.
Shape Exploration (2D & 3D):
Concept: Geometry, properties of shapes (sides, vertices, faces), spatial reasoning.
Activity:
2D Shapes: Use cookie cutters or plastic knives to cut out circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and other 2D shapes. Count the sides and corners.
3D Shapes: With playdough balls as vertices and sticks/straws as edges, build cubes, pyramids, prisms, and other 3D shapes. Count the faces, edges, and vertices.
Learning: This is a highly effective way to understand geometric properties tangibly. Children can feel the corners, count the edges, and see how 2D shapes combine to form 3D structures.
Extension: Challenge them to build a shape with a specific number of sides or faces. Our Galaxy Donut Kit invites children to explore astronomy by creating their own edible solar system, tying into spheres and orbits, much like how playdough helps visualize 3D forms.
Measurement Fun:
Concept: Non-standard measurement, comparison (longer, shorter, heavier, lighter).
Activity:
Length: Roll out "snakes" of playdough and compare their lengths. Use unifix cubes or small toys to measure how many "units" long each snake is.
Weight: Use a simple balance scale (or even hands) to compare the weight of different-sized playdough balls.
Learning: Introduces fundamental measurement concepts in a hands-on, relatable way, laying the groundwork for standardized measurement later on.
Extension: Challenge them to create a snake exactly "5 paperclips long."
Patterns and Sequencing:
Concept: Pattern recognition, repetition, sequencing.
Activity: Create repeating patterns with different colors of playdough (e.g., red, blue, red, blue...). Use cookie cutters to make patterned sequences (star, circle, star, circle...).
Learning: Develops critical thinking skills related to recognizing and extending patterns, a core mathematical and logical skill.
Extension: Ask them to create their own unique patterns and explain the sequence.
Counting and Number Sense:
Concept: One-to-one correspondence, number recognition, simple addition/subtraction.
Activity: Roll small balls of playdough and use them for counting exercises. "Make 5 balls." "Give me 3." "If you have 2 and I give you 1 more, how many do you have?" Press number stamps into the dough, or write numbers and have them place the corresponding number of playdough balls next to them.
Learning: Reinforces fundamental counting skills and builds early number sense.
Extension: Use playdough to create simple bar graphs, like graphing how many red balls vs. blue balls they made.
Arts (A) – Blending into STEAM
At Incredible Kids Network!, we proudly advocate for STEAM, recognizing that the "Arts" are not separate from, but integral to, innovation and problem-solving. Playdough inherently encourages artistic expression.
Color Mixing and Theory:
Concept: Primary and secondary colors, color blending.
Activity: Start with primary colored playdough (red, yellow, blue). Encourage children to mix them to discover secondary colors (orange, green, purple).
Learning: Directly teaches color theory in a hands-on, memorable way.
Extension: Talk about warm and cool colors, or experiment with adding more of one color to change the shade.
Sculpting and Storytelling:
Concept: Expressive arts, narrative development, character creation.
Activity: Encourage children to sculpt characters, animals, or objects and then use them to tell a story or create a scene.
Learning: Develops imagination, narrative skills, and spatial awareness as they bring their stories to life in 3D. Even beloved characters can make learning fun, like when kids make Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Cookie Pies which combines a popular character with culinary arts and fine motor skills.
Extension: Set up a mini "stage" or backdrop for their playdough creations.
Texture and Impression Art:
Concept: Texture, negative space, printmaking.
Activity: Use various textured items (leaves, lace, bottle caps, forks, combs) to create impressions and textures on flat playdough surfaces.
Learning: Explores different textures, patterns, and the concept of how objects leave unique marks.
Extension: Try creating a "texture collage" by pressing several different items into one large piece of playdough.
The integration of arts into STEM is central to our philosophy. This holistic approach ensures that children develop a well-rounded set of skills. Ready to bring this holistic "edutainment" home?
Facilitating Learning:
Tips for Parents and Educators
While playdough STEM activities are inherently engaging, your role in guiding and facilitating the learning process is crucial. It’s less about telling and more about asking.
Ask Open-Ended Questions:
Instead of "What is that?" try:
"Tell me about what you're making."
"What do you think will happen if...?"
"How could you make that stronger/taller/flatter?"
"What materials did you choose, and why?"
"What problems did you face, and how did you solve them?"
"What did you learn from this experiment?"
Embrace the Process, Not Just the Product:
The true learning in STEM comes from the exploration, the trial-and-error, and the thinking process, not necessarily from a perfect final product. Celebrate effort, perseverance, and creative problem-solving, even if the tower falls or the experiment doesn't work as expected. These "failures" are invaluable learning opportunities.
Encourage Experimentation and Risk-Taking:
Let children try their own ideas, even if they seem unlikely to work. This fosters independence and resilience. "What would happen if we tried it that way?" is a powerful question.
Provide a Rich Environment, Then Step Back:
Set up the materials, introduce a challenge or an idea, and then allow space for independent exploration. Sometimes the best learning happens when children are given the freedom to discover on their own terms.
Document and Reflect:
Take photos of their creations.
Ask them to draw or write about what they made or discovered.
Keep a simple "STEM journal" where they can record their observations or ideas. This helps solidify learning and builds metacognitive skills (thinking about their own thinking).
Adapt for Different Age Groups:
Toddlers (1-3 years): Focus on sensory exploration, fine motor development, and simple cause-and-effect. Provide chunky tools, large pieces of playdough, and supervise closely. Safe, non-toxic homemade playdough is ideal. Let them squish, roll, and pull.
Preschoolers (3-5 years): Introduce basic shapes, colors, and simple building challenges. Encourage imaginative play and storytelling. Focus on verbalizing observations and choices.
Early Elementary (5-8 years): Introduce more complex engineering challenges (sturdier structures, ramps with specific goals), basic measurement, and the beginnings of scientific inquiry (predictions, observations). The conductive playdough circuits are great for this age group.
Remember, the goal is to foster a love for learning, build confidence, and develop key skills, not to guarantee a future scientist. It's about creating joyful family memories while subtly introducing fundamental STEM concepts.
Beyond the Basics:
Expanding Playdough STEM
Once your child is comfortable with the fundamental playdough STEM activities, you can introduce more complex concepts and integrate playdough with other materials.
Incorporating Natural Elements:
Take your playdough and play outdoors! Collect leaves, twigs, small stones, acorns, and flowers. Use them to create nature-inspired sculptures, examine their textures and structures, or even build miniature habitats. This integrates biology and environmental science into your play.
Thematic Playdough Stations:
Dinosaur Dig: Bury plastic dinosaur bones or small dinosaur figures in playdough "earth" for an archaeological dig.
Space Exploration: Use blue playdough for space, and white/yellow for planets. Add glitter for stars. Mold planets, rockets, and aliens. Our Galaxy Donut Kit is another fantastic way to explore astronomy and create edible celestial bodies, making abstract concepts like galaxies tangible and delicious!
Ocean Life: Blue playdough for water, green for seaweed. Create marine animals and discuss their habitats.
Construction Zone: Use yellow or orange playdough for "dirt," and bring in toy trucks, diggers, and small blocks to create construction sites. Focus on building and demolition.
Integrating Art and Storytelling (STEAM):
Encourage children to use playdough to illustrate stories they've read or create characters for their own narratives. This strengthens literacy skills alongside STEM concepts. For instance, after reading a book about bridges, they might be inspired to build their own playdough bridge, using their creativity to solve the engineering challenge presented in the story.
Collaborative Projects:
Encourage siblings or friends to work together on a large playdough STEM project, such as a giant city, a complex maze, or a detailed model of a farm. This fosters teamwork, communication, and negotiation skills – essential in real-world STEM fields. For larger groups or classroom settings, our programs are designed to facilitate this kind of collaborative learning. Learn more about our versatile playdough ideas for home, schools and groups.
Why Playdough is a STEM Powerhouse
Before we dive into specific activities, let's understand why playdough is such an exceptional material for STEM education. It’s not just about keeping little hands busy; it’s about engaging multiple senses and cognitive functions simultaneously.
Sensory Engagement: Playdough provides a rich tactile experience. Squishing, molding, stretching, and rolling engage children's sense of touch, which is crucial for brain development and processing sensory information. This direct interaction helps children grasp concepts more deeply than simply looking at pictures or listening to explanations.
Fine Motor Skill Development: Manipulating playdough strengthens the small muscles in the hands and fingers, which are vital for tasks like writing, drawing, and using utensils. Rolling coils, pinching small pieces, and pressing down firmly all contribute to this essential development.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: When children are tasked with building a bridge strong enough to hold a toy car or creating a perfectly symmetrical butterfly, they encounter problems that require creative solutions. They learn to plan, test, observe results, and adapt their approach, which are core components of critical thinking and the engineering design process.
Creativity and Imagination: Playdough is an open-ended material that encourages imaginative play. Children aren't limited by predefined shapes or functions; they can create anything they envision. This creative freedom is essential for innovation, a key aspect of all STEM fields.
Language and Communication: As children engage with playdough, they often describe their creations, explain their process, and narrate stories. This natural interaction promotes vocabulary development, descriptive language, and the ability to articulate thoughts and ideas.
Abstract to Concrete: Many STEM concepts, like geometry or physics, can feel abstract to young learners. Playdough makes these concepts tangible. A child can literally build a cube to understand its faces and edges, or demonstrate how a ramp works by creating one.
10+ Open-ended Play Dough Tinker Box Ideas
Playing with play dough provides myriad developmental benefits in early childhood. What I love about play dough is that it provides unstructured, open-ended sensory play. Children could freely explore and manipulate play dough without rules, guidance or even an end-product in mind.
As my toddler started making leaps in abstract thinking and imaginary play nearing 2 years of age, I started creating play dough invitations to play in the form of small world themed tinker boxes -- which she thoroughly enjoys. These play dough tinker boxes hold her attention longer than ordinary play dough play, generate lots of pretend play opportunities and reinforce her learning of nature and science. I included a section about learning benefits from play dough tinker box play below.
Choice of Tinker Box Materials
These are my preferences for the materials to be used in the play dough tinker boxes -- considering factors like optimal learning, practicality (ease of cleanup) as well as environmental impact.
Small realistic figurines: Realistic play is one of the tenants of Montessori-based education. Where possible, I provide small realistic human and animal figurines for my toddler's play so she could meaningfully relate to the objects, pay attention to details and better understand the world around her.
Sensory items: Items that vary in texture, size, color, shape provide great visual and/or tactile input during play.
Repurposed toys or household items: Heuristic play involves children inventing new ways to play with everyday items. Repurposing outgrown toys or household items (that would otherwise be discarded) in play dough tinker boxes gives these items a new lease of life -- often, I get pleasantly surprised by how my toddler incorporates them into play dough.
Nature-based loose parts: Using natural materials and objects in our environment like rocks and twigs acquaint children with nature. I love that there is so much flexibility in loose parts play -- they could be moved, combined, lined up, taken apart or put back together in limitless ways.
Tinker box: I used an old craft box -- the IKEA Glis Box -- for the tinker box itself. The downside is that it is made from plastic and not environmentally-friendly. However if you already have it, it's useful for tinker box play because of the way it had been compartmentalised -- it comes with 2 larger rectangular compartments and 3 smaller square compartments. Alternatively, you could reuse a large paint color palette with big compartments.
A more environmentally-friendly alternative would be to play dough trays using a wooden serving plate with compartments.
Homemade Play Dough Recipe
(Without Cream of Tartar)
The original recipe is from The Imagination Tree but I modified it since I didn't have cream of tartar.
Ingredients:
2 cups of toasted all-purpose flour (heat treatment to lower salmonella risk)
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup of fine table salt
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (substitute for cream of tartar)
1 cup boiling water (needed for salt to integrate)
Food coloring (I use Watkins because the colors are derived from vegetables and spices)
(Optional) For aroma, 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil or 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. For texture, add lavender buds. For enhanced visual effect, add glitter into play dough.
Steps:
Mix the flour, lemon juice and oil in a large mixing bowl
Add salt and food coloring to the boiling water then stir continuously to dissolve salt
Mix colored salt mixture into dry ingredients until a dough is formed
Allow the dough to cool before kneading it until you achieve desired consistency. Add small increments of flour until it is no longer sticky.
10+ Open-ended Play Dough Tinker Box Ideas
These are 10+ diverse, fun and creative play dough tinker box ideas I have tried with my toddler, with themes drawing from nature and everyday life and materials that invite play in a hands-on and non-directive way:
1. Space Expedition
Since reading Nerdy Babies: Space and Clothesline Clothes to Jobs People Do, my toddler developed an interest in space and astronauts.
Apart from a space unit study, I created this space-themed tinker box for her to simulate an expedition out into space and a day in the moon boots of an astronaut, utilising Republic's space craft figurines and Safari's planet figurines in this small world play.
I also included small rocks collected from our nature strolls, which are perfect for making crater imprints on the moon sculpted from play dough.
NASA is a great resource for this activity, especially for curious children who wish to learn more about the solar system.
2. Insect Small World
I provided earth colored play dough, realistic insect figurines and loose parts (coffee beans, twigs and pinecones) for this insect small world tinker box.
Probably because the colors of the play dough matched the insect figurines, my toddler started talking about the Mixed-up Chameleon book by Eric Carle. Following this train of thought, I shared about how insects too could camouflage into their surroundings.
This activity presented the opportunity for me to introduce to my toddler the topic of insect science -- what insects are, anatomy of insects, their role in the ecosystem and their living habitats.
3. Farm Animal Small World
For this farm animal small world setup, I used Melissa & Doug farm animal figurine set, a wooden fence from Melissa & Doug's fold & go barn set, silk ribbons to represent hay for the chicken coop as well as leaves and stones collected from a nature stroll.
I made tiny chicken eggs from yellow play dough which my toddler loved positioning the mother hen figurine on, to 'warm' the eggs. She also enjoyed rolling the pig figurine in pretend mud (brown play dough) to make body imprints and hoof marks.
This activity is great for children to learn about farm animals -- their living spaces, the foods they consume and how they contribute to the farm (e.g. milk from cows, eggs from chickens, horses for transport). National Geographic's Farm Animals book is a useful accompaniment for this activity.
4. Wild Animal Small World
For this setup, I used Melissa & Doug's safari animal figurine set, and an array of nature-based items such as leaves, twigs, acorns, stones and wood slices. This enabled my toddler to create a savanna scene for these wild animals.
National Geographic's Safari book is a great resource book for information about wild animals to accompany this activity.
Through this wild animal and the previous farm animal activities, my toddler began to show an understanding about the difference between wild and farm animals, their lives they lead, as well as their habitats.
5. Burger Joint Small World
Burgers are one of the common foods we make or take-out to outdoor picnics, so my toddler is aware of how a burger looks and even helps with preparing them sometimes.
This burger joint small world activity is an extension of that culinary interest and my toddler's pretend cooking obsession. I love how a variety of burgers could be customised with the 'ingredients' provided.
Using felt, I created cheese, pea pods, spinach and olives. The Spruce Crafts has a directory for a wide range of play foods that could be made from felt.
I integrated pom pom balls into the DIY of these play foods, for instance using green pom pom balls for the broccoli crowns and purple pom pom balls for the heart of the purple cabbage.
Play dough could be easily shaped into burger bread and meat patties, encasing other felt ingredients. In the absence of felt play food, you could also sculpt all the ingredients out of play dough or use existing food toys.
6. Pizza Joint Small World
Pizza-making is something I regularly do with my toddler in the kitchen. It is fun for toddlers to explore and manipulate ingredients, 'decorate' the pizza base and they show greater enjoyment for the end-product when they are involved in the making process. Other easy recipes I typically try with my toddler are here.
For this play pizza setup, I used a mix of wooden food toys and felt play foods for the pizza ingredients. I also used brown play dough to sculpt mushrooms, which my toddler enjoys de-stemming using her wooden knife.
I would recommend a variety of play dough tools like a rolling pin, knife and pizza cutter for toddlers to manipulate the pizza in realistic ways.
7. Sea Town Small World
For this setup, I provided blue Magna-tiles to represent the sea, yellow play dough for beach sand, realistic sea animal figurines and sea transportation vehicles, seashells from Michael's and other sensory items like blue pom pom balls and wood slices.
The sea transportation figurines couldn't stand, so we used play dough to create a base for them so they could be propped upright on the blue Magna-tiles.
I used Busy Boats (Amazing Machines) and National Geographic's Little Kids' First Big Book of the Ocean as the resource books to accompany this activity.
8. Honeybee Small World
National Geographic's Bees makes a great resource book for this honeybee small world. This activity allowed my toddler to simulate a day in a bee's life, as it buzzes around, collects pollen from flowers, returns to its hives and works in the cells of the honeycomb.
For the setup, I provided realistic bee figurines. In spring, it would be ideal to go for a nature stroll to collect real flowers for this activity.
This is a great activity for teaching children about the different roles and types of bees, for instance worker bees and the queen bee.
9. Construction Site Small World
Since reading Mighty, Mighty Construction Site, my toddler learnt to differentiate the various construction vehicles and enjoys pointing them out when we are on the street.
This activity allows her to create an imaginary play scene designating different roles for the construction vehicles, for instance a steam roller to flatten the ground and a digger to lift boulders (sculpted from yellow play dough). I used Melissa & Doug's wooden construction vehicles, small rocks and sea glass pieces and a speed limit sign from a wooden train set for this setup.
The compartments in the tinker box helped to keep the small, loose parts (such as rocks) together, allowing for effective 'digging', 'scooping' and 'shovelling' actions by the construction vehicles.
10. Ice Cream Shop
Play dough is superb for sculpting ice cream balls and stacking them because they naturally adhere to one another. I used felt scraps to create colorful sprinkles that could be tossed on top of the ice cream scoops and also provided a small drift wood (to represent a wafer stick) and pom pom balls (to represent chocolate pops).
The ice cream cones and scoop are from Daiso, while the mini spoons are from a Disney cutlery set.
This activity is great for a dialogue about ice cream flavors and toppings, how ice cream tastes and feels like, how ice cream is made etc. Conversations with rich language expedite language development for children.
11. Penguin Small World
National Geographic's Penguins is a great resource book for children to learn about these fascinating aquatic birds.
During this activity, I also took the opportunity to share with my toddler some interesting facts about penguins -- that some species of penguin like to spend most of their lives (eating, swimming, hunting and nesting) with large groups of other penguins and a large group of penguins is called a rookery.
For the setup, I supplied white play dough (to represent snow and ice), blue Magna-tile (to represent the ocean), white sponge blocks, white cotton Q-tips, white pom pom balls and realistic penguin figurines.
During this activity, my toddler made up a story of a mama penguin diving into the ocean to fish so that she could feed her baby penguin! This was another opportunity for me to share with her the fascinating fact that parent penguins take turns foraging for food and feeding the baby penguin with regurgitated food.
12. Monster Factory
This activity is great for children to learn about feelings and expressing them through creating emotive monster art. For instance, green play dough would make a great 'jealous' monster and the facial expressions of the 'jealous' monster could be customised using the sensory loose parts provided.
During the activity, rich conversations about feelings, the situations when different feelings come about and how to react to having feelings help to foster parent-child bonding, boost language development and improve the mental ability of children to handle big emotions.
I also supplied a pair of blunt tip kid-friendly scissors for my toddler to manipulate the loose parts provided, such as cutting the flexible wire and twine string.
Small loose scraps of colorful paper are perfect for creative expression as they could be cut or torn into desired sizes and shapes.
The beauty of this DIY monster activity is that there is absolutely no right or wrong with how the feeling monsters are made -- they could have several eyes and bizarre body parts and are totally subject to one's creativity and imagination.
My toddler is very young so the premise I shared before we commenced the activity was that monsters are fictional cartoon cartoons and don't exist in real life (i.e. they're not everyday people we can meet or see on the street). Generally, I would recommend this activity for older children since research has shown that children under the age of 6 years do not easily perceive the difference between something that is made up and real. Furthermore, the Montessori method believes in supporting children's absorbent minds by showing them realities of the world before introducing them to fantasy until they show understanding of abstract concepts and can differentiate truth from myth.
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings is a favourite book of my toddler and its descriptive language and elaborate illustrations convey the topic of feelings very well.
Benefits of Play Dough Tinker Boxes
Creativity boost: Play dough is a highly transformable and versatile element that could be turned into anything subject to the maker's extrapolation and imagination. Children could shape play dough to fit any character role in a small world, or use properties of play dough (moldability/stickiness) to hold other objects in place.
Self-contained exploration and learning: Children could independently tinker with and attempt to make sense of and draw associations between play dough and other materials provided in the same box. A play dough tinker box is highly portable and great for on-the-go fun during car rides and errands.
Application of real-world concepts: Play dough tinker boxes are perfect for small world construction. Small worlds usually project a theme, an environment, an ecosystem, a vision of a real-world scenario. Children get to test and simulate theories during small world play which would otherwise not be feasible in real life e.g. invent a new pizza flavor.
Fine motor strength and skills: Kneading, rolling, flattening, squishing, cutting, folding and shaping play dough work the fine muscles in children's hands and fingers, as well as build strength and dexterity.
Language development: Having a conversation with children about what they are doing with their hands during play dough play is an opportunity for learning new vocabulary and expanding language use.
Cleanup
I typically rinse off the play dough from waterproof/water-resistant items (e.g. figurines) with water. For items that are more vulnerable to water impact, I peel off as much play dough as possible and wait for the play dough to dry out before scraping them off with a kitchen sponge or old toothbrush.
It helps to use loose parts that are not overly small (like felt and pom pom balls) so the separation from play dough isn't too tedious. I would also recommend not to provide sensory bases like sand, grains or beads as they fuse into the play dough. Exceptions are items that you won't mind integrating into the play dough such as lavender buds or glitter which enhance the smell and appearance of play dough.