Best Crafts Ideas for Kids

Photo by Mike Fox from Unsplash

• Crafts for Infants (0-12 months)
• Crafts for Toddlers (1-3 years)
• Crafts for Preschoolers (3-5 years)

Art…Life would be black-and-white without it, wouldn’t it? If you’re looking for the best possible gift you can give to your munchkin, put caring parenting, true education, and toddler creative activities on the list. They will help your tot imbibe good qualities and lead a healthy, fulfilling, and happy life as well. As kiddies progress through all early stages, the significance of creative play for kids can’t be overstated. Together with our team behind the curtains of Child-Universe, we’ll take a look at the best and most effective art activities for babies 0-2 years, toddlers, and preschoolers to help you with an early introduction to art.

Crafts for Infants (0-12 months)

Based on the;“Infant Development: The First 3 Years of Life” research, the first two months of life are considered a period of stabilization for infants as they adjust to postnatal life, facing major reorganizations and transitions in neurological and psychological development. Munchkins are intensively developing their motor skills. Thus, art activities for infants 0-12 months must be safe, simple, and effective in helping them explore shapes, colors, and textures. Plus, the sensory stimulation should be performed using 100% eco-friendly materials. Easy crafts for littlies at this point include the following:

• Handprint and footprint art. This classy fun requires only non-toxic paint and a piece of paper. Make cute prints of your kiddie’s hands and feet to create heart-warming mementos. Plus, let them feel the new textures as you press their feet or/and hands into the paint.
• Fabric touch and explore. Collect as many sorts of fabrics as possible. Make sure that each has a unique texture (smooth, rough, soft, and so on). Now, glue every piece of fabric to the sturdy board and have your infant touch and explore each. This simple strategy will help them develop their sense of touch.
• Shaker bottles. Gather colorful items like glitter, rice, and beads. Fill small plastic bottles with these items to see how lovely rug rats are shaking them and admiring how they move. This will help your baby develop better coordination and grasp. Don’t forget to close and seal bottles securely.  
• Stacking toys. Montessori-inspired Wooden stacking toys are time-tested helpers to introduce basic engineering concepts, inspire role playing and individual thinking, as well as experiment with different shapes and sizes to learn spatial relationships.

Crafts for Toddlers (1-3 years)

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According to the authors of “Fostering Creativity in Children,”  “creativity is not a product, it is a process … that leads to the production of something unique and concrete.” How to foster creativity in toddlers? If you’ve been on our ChildUniverse Blog for a while, you already know about all those open-ended toys, free play, creative models, and the importance of positive reinforcement. At this age, toddlers are active, curious, and extra-eager to use their hands for crafts. The latter should focus on encouraging creativity and boosting motor skills while being safe.

Creativity comes from different types of crafts:

• Ice painting. Get a range of edible colors and drop a single drop in each section of the ice tray. Now, take a craft stick and insert one into every section of the ice tray. Wait until the tray freezes, and give the craft sticks to your toddler to enjoy the process of painting.  
• Stickers rock! Toddlers are absolute fans of stickers. Provide your pumpkin with a black canvas and let little artists peel and stick all the stickers they have in order to create the fridge-worth masterpiece. Stickers are the kind of craft that doesn’t involve much mess. Plus, they’re superb helpers when it comes to hand-eye coordination development.
• Finger painting. While creative art activities for infants mustn’t include liquids or elements that rug rates can accidentally swallow or choke on, crafts for toddlers have more variety of options.  For instance, finger painting is an educational and fun (and a bit messy!) craft for the next generation. Use washable and non-toxic paints to let your toddler create art with their little fingers. Let them start with primitive shapes and colors and proceed to more complex patterns to engage their sense of touch.
• Playdough fun. Rolling, squishing, and molding playdough is a great way to fuel creativity and make kid’s muscles work. You’re welcome to buy playdough at the store (check out only non-toxic products!) or, as an alternative, make some on your own. Equip them with cookie cutters or plastic knives, and let the fun begin!

Crafts for Preschoolers (3-5 years)

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The experts behind the “Children’s Creativity” research state that “creativity is most strongly associated with social risk-taking (i.e., the willingness to challenge norms).” For that reason, encouraging creativity in preschoolers means giving kids the freedom to explore and use their senses at their own discretion. As for the creative development activities for preschoolers, more structured crafts are very welcome. Provide them with an opportunity and enriching environment to use their rampant imaginations and fine motor skills. Do not hesitate to include more complex crafts like gluing, cutting, and managing more detailed projects. Here are a few ideas to put on the list:

• Pasta necklace. Get a pack of penne, macaroni, route, or any other pasta that you’re ready to experiment with and customize them with paint. Pick colors that your preschooler likes the most and add some glitter, if possible. It’s a fun and effective way to boost hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
• Paper plate mask. Provide your kid with a paper plate and have fun while creating a real animal mask. Make sure you have items like construction paper, glue, feathers, and markers to decorate your chef-d'oeuvre. You will help them cut out holes for the eyes and use the mask in imaginative play.
• Cute stone monsters. If the promenade on the beach comes next on your to-do list, don’t forget to collect some flat stones to paint them with different bright colors at home. Use paint to create eyes, teeth, mouths, noses, etc. Use these “faces” to talk about different human emotions with your children.
• Nature collages. Take a walk in the park and collect all the items you may need to craft. Sticks, flowers, leaves, and other gifts of nature will become earth-friendly and unique tools in your kiddo’s hands to create a collage that will combine both creative crafting and outdoor exploration.
• Paper bag puppets. If you don’t know how to encourage creativity in a child, the trick is a simple paper bag and a few craft supplies will do the job. Let them create their own puppets using yarn, markers, and paints to create different characters and have a funny make-believe later.

Moms and dads wondering how to develop creativity in early childhood should remember that awakening the artist inside your little one takes no more than a couple of essential elements. First comes your supervision. If needed, turn on the ninja mode and follow the tot without being noticed, but always supervise young kids while crafting, especially when they’re managing small items. Second, dress your kiddies in outfits that you’re either ready to throw away once the craft session is done (usually quite messy!) or that are easy to wash. And finally…keep things simple! Remember the simple rule: less is more. In other words, the best crafts ideas for children involve just a few steps and simple materials. You will thank yourself later. Happy crafting!