Five Tips Friday: Crafting With Toddlers

When toddlers begin to develop fine motor control over their fingers and hands, they can be introduced to simple crafts. These activities, even if they just involve just picking up and pasting pieces of paper, can aid in honing creativity and mental development in toddlers.

I find that toddlers are very enthusiastic about crafting. They love everything from the materials, to the process, and proudly displaying their finished work. You can find hundreds of ideas online for whatever suits you (my Fun things to make & do board on Pinterest is a great place to start!).

I started crafting with Little Dude when he was two, and we haven't looked back. It has become our time - special projects we do together.

Here are my top five tips for crafting with toddlers:

1. Be open about the outcome

Don't expect the same result you saw in the tutorial. Give your child the freedom to create and interpret what materials you give him or her. You can provide guidance, but they will want to do things their way and that's okay. Perhaps they can do one craft your way, and another one how they like.

2. Set up a space

Don't expect the messes to be limited. If you use glitter, or cut paper, it's going to end up everywhere. Try to set up a space where your toddler has the freedom to be messy and not contained. Be creative. We live in an apartment, so I make the most use of my balcony, and we usually do crafts on a play mat instead of a table.

3. Choose the right activity

Ages mentioned in craft tutorials are only suggestive. A few toddler crafts I have shared on this blog required lots of help from me. In fact, I always mention when something is more suitable for older children, but I just want to share the craft idea. You are the best judge of what craft is suitable for your child.

4. Show them what to do

When teaching a new technique like using sticky paper, or a new skill like using scissors, always get down to their level and give a demo. It also makes sense to do the craft side-by-side with your toddler which will make them feel more involved and interested in it.

5. Watch out for the small bits

Even if your child no longer swallows small things, don't take chances. Many parents are surprised when their child suddenly decides to swallow a bead or eat chalk. Toddlers are curious and you need to always watch them around potential choking hazards.

For easy toddler craft ideas, have a look at my Busy Hands series,

Five Tips Friday is a series of posts on five quick tips about parenting, blogging, social media, travel, or just about anything!


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