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Crafts for Toddlers

Craft projects are not just for school age children. Toddlers, especially those that have trouble sitting still for movies or books, really enjoy hands on crafts. And the benefits of doing crafts with your child are numerous. Crafts help kids develop by:

• Fostering a positive self-image

• Rewarding hard work

• Fostering cooperation

• Promoting hand-eye coordination

• Exercising the imagination

• Teaching them self-discipline skills

When doing crafts with toddlers, there are a few basic safety measures to keep in mind.

• Never let your child use real scissors.

• Never use small pieces that could cause a child to choke if they were ingested.

• Never let your child eat or lick glue or paste.

• Make sure that you use only non-toxic paints and markers.

• Never leave children unattended with a craft project.

To get started doing crafts with your toddler, it is best to pick a simple craft or at least one that contains as few steps as possible. It is also a good idea to pick crafts that can be used in games or as playthings when they are done. Active toddlers like active crafts. Below are some examples of the crafts you can make with your toddler.

• Make a kid-friendly set of horseshoes by cutting a horseshoe shape out of cardboard and covering it with aluminum foil. The foil will make the horse shoe look like it is made of metal and the light weight feel of the horse shoe will make it easy for your child to toss.

• Make a piggy-bank out of an old soda bottle by using a clean, dry, plastic two-liter bottle. Use markers and pipe cleaners to make the pig's legs and eyes. The cap can be decorated as the nose and used to open and shut the bank to deposit coins.

• Use miscellaneous items around the house to make fun shapes with paint or stamping ink. Then, use finger paint or markers to turn the shapes into cool pictures. For example, an old sponge makes a great rectangle shape for a car. Add wheels with the markers and your child is set to drive away.

• Make a traffic light out of construction paper. Simply cut a large black rectangle out of the paper and then cut three circles out of red, yellow and green paper. Have your toddler use a glue stick to glue the circles to the rectangle. Once it is finished, use the light to explain how a traffic signal really works and what each color means. You can also use the light to play the childhood game Red Light, Green Light. Simply have your child dance or hop or do some other vigorous activity until you yell red light. When you yell green light, they have to start again.

• Make a sock puppet with one of your spouse's old socks. This craft works best with a white sock if your children are going to color on the material. If you will be gluing items to the sock, then a brightly colored sock will work perfectly. Once the socks are decorated, put them on your hands and act out plays for each other.

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