Kids love to play and they need to keep physically active through outdoor activities. However, when inside the house you have to restrain their energetic drive to run, jump and do all sorts of antics that can cause damage to furniture and other breakable items.
Before they get out of hand, cause you headaches and hurt themselves somehow, introduce them to arts and crafts projects that they will find interesting. Get those little hands busy and keep them on their seats while you tend to your duties.
Finger Tip Figures
For your toddlers, this project will give them an excuse to get messy. Show them how it’s done and you’ll be amazed with what they would come up with!
Firmly press your fingertip on an ink pad then on a piece of paper. Using colored pencils, pens or markers, draw on your creation some arms, legs and all other designs that could form certain images. When you’re through, let your kids make a guess by identifying such familiar pictures. Then let them have their turn which, in most likelihood, they are much eager to do! Most probably, before you even got to making pictures, they are already busy with their fingers and the ink pad!
Straw Sculptures
For this project you’ll need scissors, some bendable straws which are cut to various lengths, and paper clips. At one end of some straws snip a slit and then insert one straw into another to form any desired shape. Use paper clips for angled joints as you bend the straws into S or U shapes.
Make trees or “fireworks” by cutting more slits and curl the snipped ends of the straws with scissors like you would a ribbon.
Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
This project is ideal for kids over 3 years old. All you’ll need are pipe cleaners, as well as your creative ability.
You can make innumerable shapes of animals, people, cars and other objects because the pipe cleaners are very easy to bend and twist. Create a butterfly shape and your kids can make a quick guess!
The sculptures can be mounted for display on a wooden block using thumb tacks, or can also be reused to create other shapes. You can even bring them along on a trip to keep the kids entertained.
The above arts and crafts projects will surely keep those little hands busy, and you have moments of orderliness at home!