Crafts: Household Items

Help your toddler remember friends and relatives whom they do not get to see often. Choose or take a photograph of each person you wish to include in the book. Using colored markers, let your... Read More

Take a long piece of butcher paper and have your child lie down on top of it (his or her entire body needs to fit within the edges with a good margin around the sides). Trace around your child's... Read More

Tape or glue two clean toilet tissue cardboard tolls together and then tape some string to each roll so that the child can put it around his/her neck. To make it extra fun, paint, color or add... Read More

Use this activity to make totally awesome squishable balls. They are great for beanbag games or a good old game of catch. 1. Stretch the first balloon by inflating it halfway, holding it closed for... Read More

With your child, cut out pictures from magazines of your child's favorite things - foods, toys, colors, etc. Give your child a glue stick and then help your child paste pictures onto a large sheet... Read More

Gather a stack of old magazines and catalogs. Choose a theme with your child and go on a hunt for pictures connected to the theme (food, farm, family, animals, ocean, etc...). Cut out any pictures... Read More

Start by drawing a big outline of a letter on a piece of paper and let your child color or paint inside the lines. Then cut it out and stick it up or you can join it to other letters in an alphabet... Read More

Puppets are fun to make and great to play with, especially when acting out stories. Silly dog -- An old sock can be quickly transformed into a "silly dog" puppet. Make a dog from a sock by... Read More

Give your child a small box such as a pound sugar box. Have him or her cover it with green construction paper and lay the box flat. Your child can now cut out four legs from the construction paper... Read More

To get ready for the activity, begin by cutting the top and bottom off an empty and clean two-liter bottle. Then, help your child to paint bright slanted stripes in alternating colors. Allow... Read More

In order to thank the postman for all of his hard work, you can have your child write with a permanent marker on a small tin 'Postman's Tin: We appreciate your hard work, so we are leaving a treat... Read More

Make a piggy bank out of an empty coffee can. Begin by gluing pink felt around the can. Then, help your child to add googly eyes to the front -- or draw eyes on with a marker -- and glue two... Read More

Take a stack of old magazines and cut out eyes, noses, mouths, ears, and hair. Then, draw an oval on a piece of drawing paper or construction paper. Give your child the cut-out facial features... Read More

This is a good activity for kids who are starting to learn their city, state, and address. Print up a map of your neighborhood or town with your child; if you're a pretty good artist, you can... Read More

This is a great way to "recycle" those plastic grocery store shopping bags. You'll have to do this first part yourself: use scissors to cut plastic bags into very thin (1/4") strips - 2 or 3 bags... Read More

Have your child stuff an old sock with cloth or paper scraps. While he's doing that, cut a wide oval out of cardboard. Fold the cardboard oval in half and help your child glue it to the instep... Read More

After spending time with family, my daughter (5 years old) and I chose one image to turn into a card to send to one family member who lives far away. In this case, my daughter chose her second... Read More

Begin by painting palm trees or gluing tropical pictures onto the empty tissue box. After it dries, show your child how to stretch the rubber bands over the hole. (If needed, cut the hole into a... Read More

Let your little ones create their very own Kaleidoscope and see the wonders of their own work! Paint an empty toilet paper roll with water paints. Cut up several different colors of tissue papers... Read More

Begin by painting a coffee filter with water colors and allow it to dry completely. Once dry, glue the coffee filter to one side of a clothes pin, and glue a small magnet (1/2 inch by 1/4 inch) to... Read More

Use a brown paper grocery bag to make a team jersey with your preschooler. Cut off the bottom of the bag, cut holes in the sides for arms, and then cut the bag up the front so that it looks like a... Read More

Make a paper chef hat for your preschooler using a large piece of paper and tape. Begin by sizing the piece of paper to your child's head, and then let them decorate the paper. Once they've... Read More

Let your child create his own "jewelry" with this activity! Simply take a length of masking tape, and make a bracelet for your child. Be sure to put the sticky side out. Let him affix whatever... Read More

Find different size cups or mugs for preschoolers to trace (no glass ones). If you don't have different size cups to use, try small round containers, lids, or unopened cans. You'll need three... Read More

Scrunch a tissue into a ball, and drape another tissue over it. Twist the top tissue below the ball to make a floaty body. (You can tie it on with a rubberband to make it tighter.) Draw a face on... Read More

This a great activity for President's Day, if your children have the day off or have been talking about the presidents in school: Place a coin "heads-up" under thin white printing or drawing paper... Read More

This activity is a more advanced rendition of the "spray shaving cream on a table and let the kids create their own snowman" idea. For this version, first have the kids draw a snowman on... Read More

If you're looking for a great homemade gift you can make with the kids, try making bubble bath. You will probably have everything you need already in the house. To get started, pour 1/2 cup clear... Read More