Holiday craft ideas for parents and children

Do you have a recycling bin brimming with art and craft that’s been thrown away when your child wasn’t looking? Or are you tired of making little bits and bobs that are forgotten as quickly as they’re made?
The solution to this disposable-craft attitude is to give your child some focus with her creativity – and to make things that have lasting value in terms of ongoing play and that your little one can proudly keep and actually use.
The following ideas provide an afternoon of creative-craft fun and the end results can be used in pretend play for weeks to come. Plus, we’re sure that Teddy will just love the updates to his wardrobe.

A TEDDY LIBRARY

What you need:

• Small pieces of paper
• A stapler
• Pencils and textas

WHAT TO DO:

• Staple the small pieces of paper together to make them into a ‘book’.
• Encourage your child to draw a picture on each page. She might like to do some writing as well, or you could offer to write some words for her. (If she’s not keen on drawing, you could even help her cut some pictures out of a catalogue or magazine to stick in.)

FOR PLAYTIME:
Set up a book corner for Ted and your tot using some of these homemade books, as well as some board books.
HOW THIS HELPS DEVELOPMENT:
Making books will help build on fine motor skills, as well as work on your tot’s literacy skills, storytelling, drawing and creativity. Playing with the books will allow her to practise basic reading skills and how to handle books correctly, too.

A CROWN OR HAT FOR TED

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Paper or cardboard
• Scissors
• Craft ‘jewels’ and sequins
• Glitter
• Small containers or clean fruit or meat trays
• A glue stick or PVA glue
• Newspaper to help minimise mess
• A stapler

WHAT TO DO:

• Cut a strip of paper around 5-10cm in width, depending on the size of

your child’s bear.

• Get your little one to help wrap the strip around Ted’s head to measure what size the hat needs to be, then trim off any access paper. *If you’ve cut a particularly wide bit of paper, you might like to cut out a crown shape along the band.
• Pop the glittery bits into containers for easy access and lay them out on the newspaper with the glue and band of paper.
• Leave your tot to come up with her own creations.
• When her masterpiece is dry, wrap it around Ted’s head snuggly and staple it to fit. Ta da!

Read more :
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/practical-parenting/toddler-preschooler/playtime/article/-/12436371/holiday-craft-ideas-for-parents-and-children/