Hand it to them: Finger painting is always popular with small kids.
KIDS and craft goes together like cheese and crackers.
Most children can happily spend hours cutting, glueing, sticking and creating.
Depending on the age of your little ones there are many cheap ways of exploring their creative side. Obviously you need to watch younger children when they are using scissors, glue or sharp things such as sewing needles.
Canvas art: $2 shops sell small canvases for a few dollars. Gather some old buttons and craft glue, and encourage your child to create a masterpiece. They can draw a picture on the canvas first with a pencil and then glue the buttons on. Simple shapes, such as a big flower, work best with this.
- Felt bookmark: craft shops sell squares of felt in a variety of colours. Help cut out the shape of a bookmark and give your child a sewing needle threaded with cotton in a contrasting colour. Encourage them to do a simple stitch all around the edges. Use fabric glue to stick on scraps of old fabric you have laying around.
- Paper chains: remember making these at Christmas time at school? This simple craft activity isn’t just for Christmas. Gather brightly coloured sheets of paper and cut into strips 2 centimetres wide along the short side of the paper (assuming it is A4 size). Glue the first piece together so it is a loop then keep joining more and more loops, sealing each with glue to continue the chain. These are fun party decorations or can be used to decorate children’s bedrooms.
- Finger painting is always popular. Make sure you cover the table with newspaper and dress them in a paint smock before they go ‘‘paint crazy’’.
See more food ideas and recipes at thehungrymum.wordpress.com/