crafts for 2 year old
Shari Blackstien
HI
Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
be 2 year old.
Shari
Bridgette and John Moore
Shari Blackstien wrote:
> Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
> be 2 year old.
If you don't mind a bit of a mess, finger painting. Since almost two's
don't always know what they can eat or not eat yet, use chocolate
pudding.
Cut out shapes in different colors and let them glue them on a piece of
paper. They may or may not know the colors/shapes names yet, but they'll
have fun and it's a good intro to those. Don't push them to learn the
names, but you can say "Oh, look at this. It's a red triangle."
Just have fun and realize that at this age it will not look the same as
if you did it. Just give him/her room to create.
Good luck
Bridgette
Amy K. Morgan
eri...@erin.utoronto.ca (Shari Blackstien) wrote:
>Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
>be 2 year old.
As long as you are sure to watch them while they're doing this - if
you get a large, *blunt* needle (like for plastic canvas work), yarn,
and some big beads, they have lots of fun making necklaces or just
strings of beads. Just be sure to watch them, so they don't try to
stick the needle in their ear (or yours!). Plus, you can use them
over and over...
Amy
Mother of John (7/31/95) and Joseph (10/25/96)
Stacie Hagwood
I have a 28 mo and while most would argue this is not a craft, I
consider it kind of a hobby: I try, as much as is feasible, to
incorporate my daughter, from time to time in dinner-making. I love
to cook, and I hope to foster this same love in her. I let her tear
lettuce for salads, and last night we made meatloaves (hamburger was
on sale!) I let her crush the saltines in a zip-loc bag, using both
her hands and a wooden mallet. Then I dumped all the ingredients
necessary into a huge bowl and we "mushed" it all together. She then
helped me pat out the loaves, and roll some meatballs (left a lot to
be desired on those!) But it was fun, and I find it easier sometimes
to incorporate her, than to sit her in front of Barney, or constantly
"shooher away. It just takes a little creativity to come up with
ideas on how she can be "helpful"
Sheryl Gage
Hi,
I really like your idea of getting toddlers involved in meal
preparation, but what I can't figure out is how do you get them to
counter level? I've put my daughter on the counter a few times, but
all she can really do then is watch, plus we don't have a great deal
of counter space and things get really crowded. If you use a step
stool of some type, please describe it. Can they fall off?
Thanks,
Sheryl, mom to Greta (8/22/95)
Claire Petersky
Shari Blackstien (eri...@erin.utoronto.ca) wrote:
: Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
: be 2 year old.
A fun project is to make a pizza -- not a real one, but a pretend one.
Start with a round piece of cardboard.
Child paints it red.
YOur child can use yellow-colored glue for "cheese". Lots of glue is not a
problem if the cardboard is thick enough. (This age group often puts on
"too much" glue.) Little cut out pieces of paper in appropriate colors can
be peppers, mushrooms, sausages, and so on.
Sprinkle with real basil, oregano, and dried garlic for an authentic
smell.
--
Claire Petersky (pete...@halcyon.com)
Mother to Rose (9/92) and Emma (11/94)
Laurel
> Shari Blackstien wrote:
>
> > Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
> > be 2 year old.
>
This isn't really a craft, but it's a fun activity that's easy for
soon-to-be 2 year olds. They sell these "Paint with Water" coloring
books now (I buy them at Wal-Mart). The paint is already on the page in
the pictures but are kinda muted. When the child paints water over
them, the colors appear! Long pointy paint brushes might be a little
hard to use, so I let mine use Q-tips to "paint" with (with lots of
supervision, of course). They are fun and easy to clean up afterwards!
These are even great for older pre-schoolers,& school agers who want to
practice painting in the lines :-) You can even do them in the car on
long trips because all you need is a little (very little) bit of water
and a Q-tip which you can throw away when you're done.
Hooray for "Paint With Water" coloring/painting books!!
--Laurel in Colorado
spamblock in header. Replies to laur...@juno.com
Carol Brand
Marble Painting
box with a lid (cigar type box is best)
paper cut to fit inside box
5 marbles
different colored paint (on the thick side)
Place paper in bottom of box. Let child drip/blob paint in different
places on paper. Let your child drop in the marbles, close the lid and
shake the bejesus out of the box. Open to find lovely splatter painting.
Experiment with size of drips and number of marbles. Older kids might
want to keep box open and carefully roll the marbles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carol Brand e-mail: cbr...@nwnet.net
Installations and Technical Support phone: (206)649-7442
http://www.nwnet.net/~cbrand
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carol Brand
We call these "windows."
Cut a colorful, construction paper frame (usually a rectangle with a
cut-out rectangle inside, but you can get fancy if you want...). Place a
piece of clear contact paper in voided space so that you have a "sticky"
surface bordered by a construction paper frame.
Now you have a sticky surface on which your child can place bits of cut up
ribbon or wrapping paper or confetti charms or shapes or ????? This
project looks great in a window and it has a 3-D quality that is nice. We
keep a big bag of scraps just for this purpose. Try the following:
cotton balls
curly ribbon (love that bobbing...)
gold lamme fabric
holiday items (hearts, clovers, bunnies)
shapes
On top of this, you can decorate the borders with stamps or pens.
cam...@aol.com
Any collage work where he glues things on to other things are good projects. You can use a lot of things that you can pick up from a walk through the neighborhood such as leaves, pine cones, etc.
Painting first w/water on the sidewalk and then using real non-toxic paint on paper (if you can set this up outside, a lot less mess for indoors). On a smaller scale, watercoloring. Go with what
your child may be interested in at the time and that will keep child interested.
Stacie Hagwood
Sheryl Gage <sg...@cray.com> wrote:
but what I can't figure out is how do you get them to
>counter level? I've put my daughter on the counter a few times, but
>all she can really do then is watch, plus we don't have a great deal
>of counter space and things get really crowded. If you use a step
>stool of some type, please describe it. Can they fall off?
We use either a kitchen chair (which she stands up in) or we also
have a kitchen step stool that is kind of like a bar stool, but it has
additional steps that fold out, or can be placed back under the
seating part (I think you can get them at WalMart, Service
Merchandise, Best Products, etc. We also have a kitchen island that
is on wheels (it is only about 20"x 3' ) So she gets on one side and i
get on the other. Another thing we like to make is pizza. I wash her
hands good and let her spread the sauce around with her fingers, place
the mushropoms, the sausage, and the cheese on top. (Then I clean her
up and she runs to tell her Daddy, "Look, Daddy, I made pizza!)
Lest you think we do this nightly....NOT! Maybe once or twice a week.
BUt I also give her the responsiblilty of bringing the plates and
silverware (except steak knives) to the table. She gladly accepts
this responsibility only about 50% of the time! Oh, well.
(I really like the paint with water books, too...I especially like the
q-tip idea!)
Susan Brown
In article <5i0dq6$hpr$1...@pinta.pagesz.net>,
s...@pobox.com (Stacie Hagwood) wrote:
>I have a 28 mo and while most would argue this is not a craft, I
>consider it kind of a hobby: I try, as much as is feasible, to
>incorporate my daughter, from time to time in dinner-making. I love
>to cook, and I hope to foster this same love in her. I let her tear
>lettuce for salads, and last night we made meatloaves (hamburger was
>on sale!) I let her crush the saltines in a zip-loc bag, using both
>her hands and a wooden mallet. Then I dumped all the ingredients
>necessary into a huge bowl and we "mushed" it all together. She then
>helped me pat out the loaves, and roll some meatballs (left a lot to
>be desired on those!) But it was fun, and I find it easier sometimes
>to incorporate her, than to sit her in front of Barney, or constantly
>"shooher away. It just takes a little creativity to come up with
>ideas on how she can be "helpful"
>
I absolutely agree with you--Miles and I enjoy cooking together and have for
quite some time--he's in charge of dumping in the flour, turning on the mixer,
and punching down the dough in our breadbaking, and his current favorite task
is cutting up mushrooms--I give him a butter knife and a handful of mushrooms
and let him go! Sure, they aren't nice neat little slices, but who cares? He
loves to help me cook, and I love to have his help--one of my favorite
pictures of him lately is him stuffing the turkey for our New Year's Day
dinner! He did a great job! There are a lot of things they can do, if you are
willing to take your time. Everything *does* take a lot longer with a 3 year
old "helping" :-)
bon apetit!
sjb
Mom! to Miles, 1/27/94, budding chef!
Carol Brand
On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Laurel wrote:
> This isn't really a craft, but it's a fun activity that's easy for
> soon-to-be 2 year olds. They sell these "Paint with Water" coloring
> books now (I buy them at Wal-Mart). The paint is already on the page in
> the pictures but are kinda muted. When the child paints water over
> them, the colors appear! Long pointy paint brushes might be a little
> hard to use, so I let mine use Q-tips to "paint" with (with lots of
> supervision, of course). They are fun and easy to clean up afterwards!
>
> These are even great for older pre-schoolers,& school agers who want to
> practice painting in the lines :-) You can even do them in the car on
> long trips because all you need is a little (very little) bit of water
> and a Q-tip which you can throw away when you're done.
>
> Hooray for "Paint With Water" coloring/painting books!!
While this sort of activity is fine once in a while, it doesn't really
encourage or develop divergent thinking in a child. Afterall, with the
above activity the child doesn't get to create the image let alone choose
the colors. Children at this age should be given a wealth of interesting
materials and be allowed to create their own spectacular art.
I know that many people will say, "But my kids love coloring books!" That
may be true, but kids also love TV and Poptarts and we all know that they
don't do a lot to fuel child development. :^)
As a side note, I've been seeing a lot of the end result of boxing kids in
our church's school. The hallways are lined with student art and it makes
me cringe. Example: at Christmas time one 4th or 5th grade class had
drawn angels. Every angel except one looked ***exactly**** like every
other angel; same color (white on white), same position (standing, folded
hands), same halos. The lone rebel had drawn a green angel with
outstretched arms (reminded me of the boy who bounced his ball differently
in A Wrinkle in Time.) Most of the art work in the other classes followed
this pattern. The only interesting art was done by the kindergarteners.
Their paintings were vivid, individual, dynamic. No doubt the school will
squash that out of them soon. :^(
Our society presents plenty of opportunities for kids to "paint within the
lines." Why limit them at home?
-Carol
(with three kids producing art on a daily basis, I can barely find
the walls in my family room...)
Marti Ponton
Carol,
Interesting Comment, what sort of things did you do with your
2 year old to develop divergent thinking?
Marti
In article <Pine.GSO.3.95.970404...@cypress.nwnet.net>,
Carol Brand <cbr...@nwnet.net> wrote:
...
sava...@sd.znet.com
In article <5hrvee$f...@tuzo.erin>, <eri...@erin.utoronto.ca> writes:
> Does anybody know any age appropriate crafts for a soon to
> be 2 year old.
>
> Shari
-pushing things with interesting textures into playdoh
-finger painting, or sponge painting, or rag painting.
-gluing precut paper onto another, (cards, holiday decorations, photo frames)
-sprinkling colored bits of paper or glitter on glue (that you apply)
-Use hand prints in paint for a holiday theme picture (they make good turkey's
and antlers on reindeer)
-have your child do a handprint on oven bakable clay.
-make placemats, by arranging and gluing cut paper, leaves, or other flat
objects on paper and then you use wax paper or plastic to seal it.
-make paperbag or sock puppets, using cut paper or felt for the eyes mouth,
nose.
-grow some beans or other seeds in an egg carton. Have your child help water
them.
-have your child help wash fruit or stir cookie mixes during cooking
-make paper hats or masks, let your child pick and help put on feathers or
other decorations
Julie
Laurel & Bret
Carol Brand <cbr...@nwnet.net> writes:
>While this sort of activity is fine once in a while, it doesn't really
>encourage or develop divergent thinking in a child.
I never said it did. In fact I said:
>> This isn't really a craft, but it's a fun activity that's easy for
>> soon-to-be 2 year olds.
Now, If I had said that this activity was so great that it was the only
thing my children ever do, then I might see the reason for your post.
While you do have some good points in your note, my nice suggestion
about a simple coloring book did not really warrant this response IMHO.
> After all, with the above activity the child doesn't get to
>create the image let alone choose the colors.
Actually, most children who are not quite two years old (like the
original poster stated about her child) are not going to be able to do a
whole lot of incredible creating. At this stage, they are mostly into
experimenting with the colors & textures and working on their fine motor
skills so that they will be able to create later. These paint with
water books allow them to do all those things minus a big mess. My kids
like to swirl the colors on the page all around and mix them together,
and paint stripes on the pictures, experiment with the water in the cup
etc. This is exactly what they like to do with a watercolor paint set &
a blank canvas too, except that they do that *in* the paint set instead
of on the paper so we'll have something to keep. They enjoy the
individual attention from the parent while they are doing the Paint with
Water activity. They might gain a little more appreciation for the
versatility of books (since this is in a book). They also like to talk
about what the characters in the picture are doing. If older kids
*want* to paint within the lines, perhaps it is because they really
enjoy the finished product or they are exercising their organizational
skills. I see lots of good things with the Paint With Water books. So
don't knock it before you try it.
But, of course, don't be mistaken that I think they are the greatest
thing in the world or that it is the only thing my children are
offered. I have art smothering my walls too. One of my favorite pieces
is the huge mural I hung in our garage that has every member of the
family's footprints (even the baby's) walking and dancing all over it
after having squished our feet around in different colored paint.
> Children at this age should be given a wealth of interesting
>materials
Of course they should. I was simply offering an easy & fun idea to
someone with a child who is not yet two years old. Maneuvering a Q-tip
to dip it in a cup of water and smear it all over a piece of paper is an
excellent exercise in fine motor skills if nothing else.
While I'm writing this, I would just like to say that not every single
waking second of a child's life has to be filled with some kind of
exciting, educational, developmentally enriching activity. *Sometimes*
they just need to deal with the daily chores of living.
>Example: at Christmas time one 4th or 5th grade class had
>drawn angels. Every angel except one looked ***exactly**** like every
>other angel;
Maybe this work wasn't a result of the creative activities they are
doing. Perhaps was merely an exercise in following directions....a
skill for which most 4th &5th graders need lots of practice. Not every
person has the skills or desire to create physical art. Some children
are more creative in other areas -- like creative writing, or creative
problem solving, or they have creative ways of thinking about
mathematics, or building things, or inventing new games to play or
pretending to be some imaginary character (acting!).
>Our society presents plenty of opportunities for kids to "paint within
>the lines." Why limit them at home?
Or why limit them to physical art as their only means of expression?
And who said anything about limiting them anyway? All I did was make a
harmless suggestion about a fun activity. And just for the record I
want to state that sometimes it's OK to do something "just because it's
fun" (as long as it isn't dangerous, like drugs, etc.). It doesn't
**all** have to be a big lesson to fuel child development. Sometimes
it's also OK to have a Pop Tart or a cookie or watch TV too...
But everything in moderation.
Sheeeeze.
--Laurel (who should be packing for her long trip tomorrow and won't be
able to follow the rest of this rediculous thread while she's gone.)
"Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change."
R&S Partrick
Sheryl Gage wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I really like your idea of getting toddlers involved in meal
> preparation, but what I can't figure out is how do you get them to
> counter level? I've put my daughter on the counter a few times, but
> all she can really do then is watch, plus we don't have a great deal
> of counter space and things get really crowded. If you use a step
> stool of some type, please describe it. Can they fall off?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Sheryl, mom to Greta (8/22/95)
My daughter is at the kithen counter, butcher block and sink almost on a
daily basis. One "trick" I use is to SLIGHTLY dampen a kitchen towel
and put it on the chair first. When Marrietta stands on the towel I
don't think she could slip if she wanted to!
(For original poster) One fun craft is to take a coffee filter and
flatten it out. Have your child color it with markers or paints.
Scrunch it up through the middle and hold it "scrunched" with a (also
decorated) clothespin. This makes a cute butterfly! Then sing the
"Four Little Butterflies" song (from Barney, of course).
Have fun
Shelly mom to Marrietta (4) and Chloe (11 months)
Carol Brand
On Fri, 4 Apr 1997, Marti Ponton wrote:
> Carol,
>
> Interesting Comment, what sort of things did you do with your
> 2 year old to develop divergent thinking?
>
> Marti
Marti,
I recently went to hear a woman speak about art and encouraging divergent
thinking in children and I will try to dig up my notes and see if there
are additional resources (I'm sure that there are). But here is my
understanding...
Divergent thinking leads to creative problem solving. It is the idea that
there are many right answers or "paths" to a solution. Young children
naturally look at the world this way and by encouraging divergent thought
processes you help them to be more creative, "out of the box", problem
solvers as they get older. As children grow older, they will also
naturally use a more convergent thought process (finding the one right
answer).
In art, any activity that lets a child choose the direction, medium, and
form of the final product would encourage divergent thinking. Also
providing unusual, interesting materials helps them to see the
possibilities. Here are some:
vegetable prints
using toy cars as a vehicle for paint
using medicine droppers to drop food coloring on coffee filters
providing stuff (gears, paper towel holders, glitter etc) for sculpture
chocolate pudding for finger paint
melting crayons on a foil covered griddle and laying paper on top
The idea is to avoid having a preconceived notion of what the final
product is to be. You also want to avoid modeling. Modeling is where an
adult creates something that is held up as the ideal. This sets the child
up for certain failure (eg.. you draw a picture of a dog and then tell the
child to draw their own dog... child will not be able to draw as well and
will become frustrated).
My son invented this one project that he loves to do; it's called "burning
arrows." He uses thick poster paint, Q-Tips, and toothpicks to make a
multi-media painting. All the while he makes up an elaborate story to go
along with creation of the painting. I don't understand it, but isn't
that the mystery of art? ;^)
Coloring books on the other hand are an example of an activity that would
encourage convergent thinking. With a coloring book there is one way to
do things. You are supposed to "do it in the lines". On top of this, the
child learns that dogs look a certain way and may be less likely to invent
their own dogs. Always using cookies cutters with play-dough is another
example of a convergent project (always get the same shape... only one
shape to get).
Anyway, the point is not to go crazy and become a fanatic. Life is about
balance. Coloring books once in a while are not going to make your kid a
zombie. I think most of us though would like our kids to be creative
problem solvers and art projects that encourage a divergent thought
process could help.
-Carol
Cindy...@transarc.com
I remember these from when I was young. I thought that they were
great!
> While this sort of activity is fine once in a while, it doesn't really
> encourage or develop divergent thinking in a child. Afterall, with the
> above activity the child doesn't get to create the image let alone choose
> the colors. Children at this age should be given a wealth of interesting
> materials and be allowed to create their own spectacular art.
I saw that Laurel replied, with a note that said that she agreed with
this too. So do I. So if this is obvious to us Moms, why is it not
obvious to more nursery schools/preschools? When I was looking for
one place for my son, I though I would just scream if I saw one more
place that offered structure structure structure and tried to pass it
off as "art" for the kids. At one place with everything-looks-alike
arts&crafts on the wall I asked, "But what do you do with the kids
that lets them be creative?" and was told, "Oh, they can be creative.
The kids can glue the [precut] bow anywhere they want on the [precut]
kite. It doesn't have to look like the teacher's kite." ARGH!!!!!!!
Cindy
Ruben D. Moreno Jr.
This is a great idea. Although, how much of a concern is it handling
uncooked hamburger? I guess it would be important to wash up
thoroughly. What are the chances of contracting for example Ecoli,
etc. while handling the raw meat? Just concerned.
Ruben
Ruben D. Moreno Jr.
This is a great idea. Although, how much of a concern is it handling
uncooked hamburger? I guess it would be important to wash up
thoroughly. What are the chances of contracting for example Ecoli,
old as well.
mary ann McNamara
Cindy...@transarc.com wrote:
>
>I remember these from when I was young. I thought that they were
>great!
>> While this sort of activity is fine once in a while, it doesn't really
>> encourage or develop divergent thinking in a child. Afterall, with the
>> above activity the child doesn't get to create the image let alone choose
>> the colors. Children at this age should be given a wealth of interesting
>> materials and be allowed to create their own spectacular art.
>I saw that Laurel replied, with a note that said that she agreed with
>this too. So do I. So if this is obvious to us Moms, why is it not
>obvious to more nursery schools/preschools? When I was looking for
>one place for my son, I though I would just scream if I saw one more
>place that offered structure structure structure and tried to pass it
>off as "art" for the kids. At one place with everything-looks-alike
>arts&crafts on the wall I asked, "But what do you do with the kids
>that lets them be creative?" and was told, "Oh, they can be creative.
>The kids can glue the [precut] bow anywhere they want on the [precut]
>kite. It doesn't have to look like the teacher's kite." ARGH!!!!!!!
>Cindy
But it dose help with following directions, working cooperatively in a
group, . And I personaly think the room full of kites looks so cute.
Most preschools offer bothe they usually have free drwaing painting
and a project. There is a place for bothe structure and non structure
Stacie Hagwood
"Ruben D. Moreno Jr." <rdm...@idt.net> wrote:
Although, how much of a concern is it handling
>uncooked hamburger? I guess it would be important to wash up
>thoroughly. What are the chances of contracting for example Ecoli,
>etc. while handling the raw meat? Just concerned. I have a two year
>old as well.
I am no scientist, but I do make sure that we wsh her hands good
before and after we do this, and I am careful that she not put any in
her mouth while we are working.
Carol Brand
> >I saw that Laurel replied, with a note that said that she agreed with
> >this too. So do I. So if this is obvious to us Moms, why is it not
> >obvious to more nursery schools/preschools? When I was looking for
> >one place for my son, I though I would just scream if I saw one more
> >place that offered structure structure structure and tried to pass it
> >off as "art" for the kids. At one place with everything-looks-alike
> >arts&crafts on the wall I asked, "But what do you do with the kids
> >that lets them be creative?" and was told, "Oh, they can be creative.
> >The kids can glue the [precut] bow anywhere they want on the [precut]
> >kite. It doesn't have to look like the teacher's kite." ARGH!!!!!!!
>
> >Cindy
> But it dose help with following directions, working cooperatively in a
> group, . And I personaly think the room full of kites looks so cute.
> Most preschools offer bothe they usually have free drwaing painting
> and a project. There is a place for bothe structure and non structure
I think that there is a constructive way to do both.
First is to make sure that the teacher isn't doing any modeling. By that
I mean making her own to show the kids what a "good kite" will look like.
Modeling only encourages those kids who can to copy the teacher's kite
while those kids who can't copy it end up feeling like losers.
The second is to provide a wealth of interesting and even bizarre
materials for the kids to create with. If this is a kite, how about
painting it with bird feathers (will it fly better) or cotton balls (cloud
like) or????? Recently my son's pre-school did an week on space travel.
One project was to make a spaceship. The kids had a table heaped with
really weird stuff, bolts and gears, styrofoam, paper towel centers, pipe
cleaners, toothpicks, metallic paper etc. You should see want those kids
came up with. Watch out NASA!! They are all hanging from the school
ceiling now and you're right, they look great!
Ultimately You want to avoid glueing a pre-cut bow onto a pre-colored
kite.
-Carol ...I knew my art history degree would come in handy some day ;^)