Everyday Crafts 1

Baby Faces:

Children love to look at other babies. When my daughter started “reading” my parenting magazines and ripping out pages because she was so intent on a picture, I figured out it was time for her to have her own magazine too. Besides the joy of just looking, we’d talk about how the children were feeling or what they were doing. Try to get photos of all kinds of children, with different ethnic backgrounds and abilities.

Supplies: pictures of babies and children cut out of magazines, showing different expressions (happy, sad) and activities (eating, sleeping, playing); white 8.5 x 11” paper; glue; top-load plastic sheet protectors (such as Avery PV119ED) or self-laminating sheets; a ring from a keyring.

How-to: Some children’s clothing ads work as stand-alone pages for your “magazine”; others you have to turn into a collage, gluing smaller pictures to the paper. When you’ve got enough pages together, (say, at least 10), start inserting them in the sheet protectors, making sure that you have pictures on both sides inside the sheet protector. In the top hole of the sheet protector, insert the ring so you can flip through the pages. If you are laminating your book instead, you need to use a paper punch to punch a hole near the top left corner to insert ring.

Variations: After many months of reading her magazine almost daily, we worked together to add new pictures. Using sheet protectors makes this a recyclable project that can work for years. You can do themes such as animals or foods or favorite characters.

Create a Story

Similar to baby faces but draw a series of pictures and leave space at bottom of page to write the words of the story.

ABC book

Supplies: 7 pieces of white paper, pen, crayons.

How-to: Stack and fold paper in half like a book. Staple folded edge. Write your child’s name on cover, such as “Sam’s Alphabet.” Using both sides of each page, write the alphabet, one letter per side.

Activity: Have your child pick a letter and draw an object that begins with that letter (such as wagon for W) or, if your child is older, ask them what objects start with that letter.

Variations: Not much with drawing? Try stickers or magazine pictures.

Stop & Go Sign

Make a game out of learning what stop means. Use this visual to play Red Light, Green Light.

Supplies: 2 paper plates, a flat stick such as a paint stirrer, red and green construction paper.

How-to: Draw and cut out a red and a green circle to fit in the flat part of the paper plate. Turn over one paper plate and glue down the wooden stick from the center of the plate to just before the plate curves away. (You may want to staple it as well.) Glue red circle on center of one paper plate, and green on the other. Glue the second plate to the first, back to back.

Variations: Write the words as well.

Cleopatra’s Necklace

Supplies: Paper plate, decorating supplies.

How-to: Cut out the curved edge of a plain paper plate, starting with a cut through the curve and then around the circle. Decorate it with crayons, markers, glitter, buttons, fake jewels.

Bookmark

Supplies: 4 x 6” colored card stock cut in half (2 x 6”), stickers, do-it-yourself laminating sheets.

How-to: Decorate with stickers on both sides of the card stock, then put it between two pieces of laminating sheets. Press together. Cut laminating sheets about ¼” around edge of card stock.

Variations: Draw pictures with crayons and markers. Glue pictures from magazines (using a theme of images, such as sports), scraps of paper, glitter, and/or photos onto card stock. We wrote a person’s name on each bookmark.

Footprint Bookmark

Supplies: Card stock, do-it-yourself laminating sheet, marker.

How-to: Trace your child’s foot (in pencil!) on the card stock, then cut out. Label with your child’s name and the date. Sandwich cut-out between two laminating sheets. Trim, either as a rectangular shape or foot shape.

Photo Puzzle

Supplies: a 5 x 7” photo (a duplicate photo!), cardboard (not corrugated but cereal box paperboard).

How to: Glue photo onto cardboard and cut cardboard to same size as photo. Cut photo into puzzle pieces, say in half vertically then twice across.