Winter means more time at home and indoors; I really need to find some new ways to engage my daughter; I figure crafts are good but don't know of any that are good for her age. Everything I see in stores and catalogs seems for older girls (making bracelets, things with lots of small beads, et al; plus I don't want to spend a small fortune on supplies before we even sit down to try the activity). We have done some collages with pictures torn from magazines, but I was hoping for ideas with a more functional outcome so she can be excited about the "finished product"/ also that involve more than just gluing. Thanks in advance for your suggestions mommies, I'm sure they'll be great!
cutting snowflakes? We are doing one each day until Christmas, using paper that the kids have already scribbled on "decorated"
Check out pinterest. There are alot of ideas there and I also like "busy bags." I found out about the concept from a mom blog I get and have found various ideas by googling busy bags and looking on pinterest.
You can make "jewelry" or ornaments out of pony beads and shoe laces/yarn...they're large enough that she should be able to "thread" them (I do this with my 2.5 yr old).
Go to the dollar store and get a picture frame. Use the glass part to "decorate" (paint, glitter glue, stickers, etc). then you can hang as "art"!
The construction paper rings are fun! You can cut the strips and she can decorate them and then glue them. Similarly, cut out shapes (trees, animals, etc) and have her glue bits of colored tissue paper onto them.
What about puzzles? I hear they're supposed to be good for helping kids with problem solving skills.
hi L.--
i love doing crafts with my daughter, and i can't wait until she is a bit older so she will be able to do even more. i have found some great blogs (some are craft-oriented; some homeschooling) with nice ideas:
http://madebyjoel.com/
http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/
http://fun.familyeducation.com/games/preschool/33373.html...
i would imagine if you google "crafts for 4-year-olds" or "rainy day activities", you will find more.
good luck!
First, maybe making a few Holiday decorations: those construction paper rings that you string together. You cut the strips & she can tape them together.
Decorating ornaments (coloring construction paper that you've cut out
into shapes: bells, trees etc).
Making things w/felt.
Decorating pictures frames (plain wood ones @ Michael's & Wal-Mart
w/coloring pens). You can even substitute real pictures w/cute ones
you let her pick out together from a magazine you don't mind cutting up.
Decorate a clean mayonnaise jar (plastic ones) w/felt glued on etc.
Over the summer with my 4 year old stepdaughter -- I taught her how to play "Go Fish." I played Shoots and Ladders. We sometimes sat on the porch and talked about flowers, leaves, bees, etc. Sometimes she would help me fold clothes. She just really wanted to be with me. As for crafts -- I got her a playdo birthday cake set for her birthday and she loves to play with that -- you make these cakes wtih all different designs. She even likes to play without the playdo sometimes (when I dont' have time to sit down). She loves dress up and I paint her nails - we do them together. She loves to help me cook and I've taught her how to cut tomatos and cucumbers (hand over hand of course). I also got coloring books from the dollar store and let her color. I let her help me make my grocery list. We look up recipes and then she helps at the store. I just include her. She loved dying Easter eggs - being Christmas have her make some ornaments. Or, decorate a picture frame and put a pic of you both in it. I sometimes cover the table in paper and let her draw. She seems to like to help me more than do crafts.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not great at arts and crafts. But I have found that my daughters (3 and 6) love doing them. You might be surprised at what your 4 your old can do. My kids both love to paint. We have done little ceramic figures that you buy at the store. Picture frames are a good craft for a usable outcome. For Christmas this year we actually bought unfinished wooden frames and the girls painted them to give to relatives (with a picture of them of course!). Stickers and stamps are usually a lot of fun. Try googling ideas if you have a particular theme/material that you want to incorporate. Good luck!
As a crafter, I'd say you do NOT need to spend a fortune! You can find lots of fun "crafty" stuff at any box store, or even thrift/goodwill stores! As long as your daughter is past the stage of putting things in her mouth, there is no limit to the fun crafts you can do! I like to pick up random foam craft kits when they're on the clearance racks (usually whatever holiday theme) and stickers. There are cute necklace sets (at Michael's) that have about 10-12 wooden beads and an elastic strand for $1 (you can find for 50c sometimes). Just go for it! I think your daughter will love whatever you pick, as long as you're there with her crafting, too!! Good luck and enjoy!
Playdo, clay, model magic. All are very fun. You can even make your own playdo. Salt dough is another home made craft that can make great gifts. VERY simple to make, roll it out, use cookie cutter and air dry. Then paint. If you make ornaments don't forget to put a hook hole in before it dries. You can find recipes on line. Baking/cooking is also very fun with a 4y/o. One of our other favorite things to do is play with shaving cream on a cookie sheet. Have FUN!
