[janerose]

So far all I've got is washable crayons, washable water colors, sheets of stickers & one of those paint with water books. She likes all those, but we're trying to cut back on TV and I really need some new ideas.

I tried a tip I read here earlier, where you cut clear contact paper & put it down sticky side up & then let them put pre-cut shapes or whatever onto it, but she's not very interested in that yet. I also tried letting her go to town with one of those washable glue sticks & a bunch of cut out shapes, pom-poms, & stickers. She doesn't quite get how glue works yet though...

As in, she can't be convinced that the glue is in fact not "make up", which is what we call the lotion we put on her face.

She's getting one of those blackboard/whiteboard/holds a roll of paper easels from my IL's for her birthday, but that's still a month away.

Anyway, any thoughts are appreciated!

Holly

 

[adoremybabe]

Off the top of my head... you can get some string (like a shoelace), large wooden beads, or cereal with holes like cheerios if she eats them. With these few things she can make a necklace. I don't have any experience teaching art to really little ones so I'm not sure about hand-eye coordinaton at that age. My ds is only 1year. Maybe you could hold the string for her and she could put the beads on it. After everything is strung then she'll have a necklace. I like the idea of really big beads. They will be easier to handle and safer than small beads. Maybe I'll come up with something else as the day goes on.

 

[adoremybabe]

Is there a place that you can use sidewalk chalk outside?

Little children love bubbles too.

 

[wifty]

I second the lacing beads idea.....my DD loved doing that. Also, we taped alot (still do at 32 months). Giving her pieces of tape to put on paper was such a blast for her.....and easy to clean if she happened to put some on her clothes or the floor.....and its cheap. During christmas, which is when DD was 2, there was colored tape really cheap right after the holidays.....so more fun!

Tub crayons were a big hit and making piles of bubbles in the sink for her to squish kept her entertained for quite a while.

At 2 its hard to do crafts still.....even at DDs age....she still wants to eat the playdough! I can't wait til they are old enough to really get into making things!!!

With smiles and good luck,
Rebecca

 

[roomformore]

There was a thread recently either here, or maybe in the childhood section, on messy play. You might want to check that out. Not exactly crafts, but definately some creative ways to have fun.
We did a lot of fingerpainting. I also had the boys decorate some of our gift wrap around the holidays (papersacks, paint, sponges, etc). You could also try putting an old shower curtain or plastic table cloth on the floor, getting out the paints, and stripping your child down. It's a great photo-op and the kids love it! Some of that butcher-type roll paper is fun b/c they can make a banner and you can hang it up for them to see. My boys always dragged visitors around showing them their art work!

 

[janerose]

Great ideas! Keep them coming.

We do have chalk & I actually decided this morning that the side of the metal cabinet in our kitchen can be her "blackboard" for the moment. She had a great time for like 20 min coloring & erasing.

I've decided I'm also going to let her go in just her dipe for most of the day. It's just sooo much easier to let her play with craft stuff & not have to worry about ruining clothes or whatever. Pretty much everything we buy is washable & nontoxic, so when she's done all I have to do is toss her in the tub. Which has the bonus of being another activity she loves.

Holly

 

[User101]

One of my favorites is a contact paper collage. You can use many materials, but my favorite is to let the child tear paper (great for developing the pincer grip and small motor skills) and then put them on the sticky side of clear contact paper. You can then either stick it to a piece of contruction paper or put another piece of clear contact paper on the other side to make a suncatcher.

Fingerpaint on a cookie sheet or high chair tray, and then press a large piece of paper on it when they're done to make a "print".

Tape some objects on the table and then tape a large piece of paper over it, and show them how to color or rub over the objects. We call these "surprise pictures."

 

[LaughingHyena]

Some things my 2 year old enjoys

painting outside with a pot of water and a big brush
crayons/pens - I hole punch all the paper we get that's blank on one side and save them in a binder for her to draw on.
playdough with cutters and plastic cutlery
magna doodle
finger paints (not as messy as I though they would be)
painting, put out very small ammounts of paints though. Also she tends to get excitied and wave the brush around

She is just starting to want to use scissors but hasn't really "got" glue yet. She likes spreading it on the paper but doen't stick anythign to it.

We have some big wooden beads but she' not quite able to thread them on a string yet. We have some that come with wooden rods to thread them on htat she prefers.

Not really crafts but she loves fridge magents, I made my own with some craft foam and sticky magnets. She also likes finding hidden objects in a box of shreded paper.

I think I'm going to have to get some chalk soon.

 

[chandasz]

Home made finger paint is fun. Home made play dough is great. We're using washable water colors. She likes to paint her feet and step onto paper!

The crayola stuff rinses right off her feet!

 

[adoremybabe]

OOOhhhh I love the magnet idea. You could make a simple puzzle design and when your babe gets older he/she can put it together.

 

[jackaroosmom]

My ds is also 23 months. He really loves to do golf ball painting.

Take a plastic shoe box and put in a piece of paper. drop in a few globs of paint and one or 2 golf balls. This makes a neat design as the child moves the box around.

We have some cheap cars that he dips in paint and makes "tracks" onto paper.

I cut out pictures from magazines and coupons and he sticks them onto contact paper. I guess you could use paper and glue, but we have a hard time with that as well.

Sponge painting. i just cut sponges so they fit in his hand. You could get creative and cut shapes or buy precut sponges for painting.

Gadget painting. Use potato mashers, plastic strawberry crates, anything that can be dipped in paint and make a neat print on paper. Once you start doing this, you wont believe all of the things that are cool to paint with!

My ds just loves the messy process and seldom cares about the finished art work!