Quick and Easy Toddler Craft Ideas

Quick and Easy Toddler Craft Ideas

Toddlers love to learn new things. What better way to help them learn than to introduce new crafts. Crafts do not have to be labor intensive. In fact, many crafts are designed for toddlers and are available at the local crafts store. In addition to finding kits at the local craft store, you can also use regular household goods such as crayons, paper and even pasta to encourage your toddler’s creativity.

Foam Crafts

There are many pre-made projects available at Michael’s and and in the craft area of many stores for children that involve foam. Foam is very easy to maneuver and does not rip as easily as paper making it a versatile project for children.

I came across a great toddler project at amazingactionalphabet.blogspot.com using fun foam shapes to make truck and train pictures. This project uses pre cut foam shapes (or you could cut your own shapes) and allow your littles to adhere them together to make something they will be proud of. This project could serve as a great craft project as well as helping them to learn their shapes.

You could also easily help them make foam masks or even foam characters such as dinosaurs, dogs, etc. Save the more detailed project activities for a later age when children are more adept to working with glue.

Toddlers Love To Draw And Color

Sometimes providing a simple coloring page will satisfy the creative genius in your toddlers. Simply provide a box of crayons, and a coloring page and watch your child get inspired. The folks at supercoloring.org have oodles of coloring page images for all ages you can download. And they’re free.

Children can easily be taught to draw new items or simply left to doodle on their own. Ask them to describe what they are drawing; it will fuel their imaginations even more! To add another element to the drawing, give your child stickers to play with and place on the paper. Be sure to give your child a variety of stickers so they can choose what they want to use.

Pasta Creations

There are many things that toddlers can create with pasta. Wheels can be used as tires on cars, ziti noodles and some string can be used to create bracelets and necklaces. Use markers to color the pasta before using the noodles to craft, your child will come up with a colorful creation for sure. Having toddlers make a homemade pasta bead necklace for themselves or as a special gift for someone can make them very happy. The folks at   thinkplaycreate.org has a simple tutorial and video on teaching your toddler how to make a colorful pasta bead necklace.

Paper Crafts

There are many paper crafts that can be age appropriate for toddlers. The use of tissue paper, construction paper, newspaper, paper plates and more can provide hours of creative fun for your little one.

I came across a cute rainbow suncatcher (pictured above) made from paper plates and tissue paper at teaching2and3tearolds,com. It will require a bit of prep by an adult but I think it would be super fun to create together,

Let them create a card for someone special. Cards can be made with glitter, with adult supervision of course. Help your toddler spell out what they want the card to say, then have them trace the lines with a glitter marker. Glitter markers are better than actual glitter because the markers already have the glue in them – easy cleanup!

Using the above ideas is a great way to introduce arts and crafts to your toddler. Since toddlers love to learn and absorb new information, crafts are the perfect idea to spark your child’s creative side. All of the ideas provided are quick and easy and allow for minimal mess as well as quick clean up. Crafts can be introduced on a regular basis to keep your child entertained.