Clay & Playdough Play for Kids - The Artful Parent
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The Artful Parent is a resource for families and educators. We help you raise creative kids with art activities, seasonal crafts, and family fun!Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:16:08 +0000en-AU
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3https://artfulparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cropped-cropped-artful-parent-watermark-transparent-32x32.pngClay & Playdough Play for Kids - The Artful Parent
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323299273070How to Make Clay Leaf Prints
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https://artfulparent.com/clay-leaf-prints/#respondMon, 01 Apr 2024 14:06:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/clay-leaf-prints/How to make clay leaf prints with air dry clay. This easy nature craft project is fun for kids and creates a beautiful ornament or pendant to hang. Updated April 2024 We love making leaf prints, whether on fabric, paper, clay, or even plaster of paris. The process is so satisfying, and the results capture […]
]]>How to make clay leaf prints with air dry clay. This easy nature craft project is fun for kids and creates a beautiful ornament or pendant to hang.
Updated April 2024
We love making leaf prints, whether on fabric, paper, clay, or even plaster of paris. The process is so satisfying, and the results capture the natural beauty of leaves.
One of the easiest and most lovely ways to make leaf prints is with air dry clay. You can use these clay leaf prints for ornaments, pendants, or as gifts.
Here’s how we made these beautiful prints.
First, here’s a video tutorial, then we’ll give you the step-by-step instructions.
Pinch off a small piece of air dry clay (maybe a tablespoon or two) and roll it into a ball between your hands.
Make your print
Set the clay ball on the leaf and press down with the palm of your hand to flatten it.
Remove the leaf
Carefully lift the clay disk, turn it over, and peel away the leaf.
Make a hole to hang your disk (optional)
If you’d like to hang your leaf print, poke a hole at the top of your disk with a drinking straw.
Repeat!
Repeat the process with additional leaves and clay balls.
Let dry thoroughly
This may take two to three days.
Decorate your clay leaf prints
If desired, paint the clay leaf print with watercolors.
You can also decorate them with colored pencils.
A great way to use these clay leaf prints is to make an ornament or pendant. To do so, thread string through the hole and tie to form a loop for ornaments or a pendant. Add beads if desired. You can also string several clay disks together into a garland.
]]>https://artfulparent.com/clay-leaf-prints/feed/01109015 Amazing Clay Projects for Kids
https://artfulparent.com/15-amazing-crayola-air-dry-clay-art-projects-for-kids/
https://artfulparent.com/15-amazing-crayola-air-dry-clay-art-projects-for-kids/#respondMon, 25 Mar 2024 14:00:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/15-amazing-crayola-air-dry-clay-art-projects-for-kids/We love air dry clay and have used it for years! Here are our top 15 air dry clay projects for kids that are easy and fun. Updated April 2024 Have you used air dry clay? This stuff is awesome for kids’ arts & crafts! It feels a lot like regular potter’s clay, but it’s […]
]]>We love air dry clay and have used it for years! Here are our top 15 air dry clay projects for kids that are easy and fun.
Updated April 2024
Have you used air dry clay? This stuff is awesome for kids’ arts & crafts! It feels a lot like regular potter’s clay, but it’s not as messy. And it dries hard without needing to be fired.
Is it unbreakable? No. But neither is fired pottery. And it is quite strong. We use and love Crayola Air Dry Clay and have for years. The quality is good, the price is reasonable, and there’s just so much that can be done with it!
You can get Crayola Air Dry Clay at most big box stores, craft stores, or online.
For more of our recommended kids’ arts and crafts supplies, be sure to check out our post featuring the Best Tools & Art Supplies for Kids.
Here is a list of our favorite clay projects for kids. We hope you get inspired and try a few!
Your child can explore whatever their current interest is by creating their own figures for a small world or diorama. This is a fun open-ended clay activity for kids.
Learn how to make a fairy house using air dry clay, beans, & found nature items. Kids love creating these little houses & they encourage hours of imaginative play.
These clay coil hearts are super easy to make and suitable for all ages from 4 years and up. I’ve made them with little kids and adults and they never fail!
This 30-page printable eBook is stuffed full of sensory play fun! An ultimate guide to sensory play, complete with our favorite recipes and tips for success!
]]>https://artfulparent.com/15-amazing-crayola-air-dry-clay-art-projects-for-kids/feed/011523How to Make Mosaic Art for Kids with Air Dry Clay
https://artfulparent.com/how-to-make-mosaic-art-for-kids-with-air-dry-clay/
https://artfulparent.com/how-to-make-mosaic-art-for-kids-with-air-dry-clay/#respondFri, 08 Mar 2024 20:03:37 +0000https://artfulparent.com/how-to-make-mosaic-art-for-kids-with-air-dry-clay/Dig into the recycling bin for materials to upcycle and create some amazing mosaic art for kids. A great tactile activity using air dry clay. Project and post by Benares Angeley of Children’s Art Lab and photographs by Aylin Cetik. Updated April 2024 If you’re the owner of an art studio like me, or just […]
]]>Dig into the recycling bin for materials to upcycle and create some amazing mosaic art for kids. A great tactile activity using air dry clay. Project and post by Benares Angeley of Children’s Art Lab and photographs by Aylin Cetik.
Updated April 2024
If you’re the owner of an art studio like me, or just an artsy mama (like so many of YOU!), I bet you get tons of sometimes awesome and sometimes wild donations of materials.
I’ve been given hundreds of cardboard tubes, piles of lids from baby food pouches, a giant box of seashells, and countless beads, jars, spools of thread, shoeboxes, stickers, stamps, and teeny, tiny odds and ends.
I nearly always say “YES” when asked if I take donations. I love repurposing objects, and kids adore going through my recycling bin of “usable makeables.” Some items eventually make their way into the trash, but I try to put most donations to good use in a project.
One of my favorite ways to use all the odds and ends I save is pressing them into air dry clay. Older children can create pinch pots and use the bits and bobs to embellish their designs. Younger children love the sensation of pushing the objects into small mountains of clay.
I love projects like this that work on so many levels for a variety of ages!
Mosaic Art for Kids with Air Dry Clay
MATERIALS
Small objects such as sequins, beads, buttons, marker lids, acorn caps, plastic lids, small seashells, tiny ceramic tiles, etc.
I always like to start the kids off with some simple observations:
– What do you notice about your materials? – What colors do you see?
– How about shapes? – Are the tiles smooth or bumpy?
Time for the air dry clay!
The students at my art studio love, love, love when I bring out clay! They don’t get many opportunities to experiment with clay in school, so it always feels extra special to them.
Create a pinch pot
I give them a small amount of air dry clay to start with then I show them how to roll it into a ball. After this they learn to push a thumb into the middle of the ball to make a little indentation.
Then I ask them to take “pinching fingers” and pinch around the outside edge to make a little bowl or nest.
If your kiddos don’t have much experience using clay, they will probably want plenty of time to just explore the material.
It’s fun to talk about how the clay feels and how it’s different than playdough–including how the clay will transform as it dries.
Make some beautiful mosaic art!
After your child has their basic form made (whether a little bowl or a ball or just a mound of clay), it’s time to start designing with the tiles, buttons, beads, or whatever material you’re using for the project.
This is a great time to introduce the idea of creating a pattern with shapes and colors. It’s also an engaging sensory process and so good for those little fingers developing fine motor skills to push tiny tiles into a sticky ball of clay!
Let it dry
The air dry clay will be dry after a day or two, depending on the weather.
It’s fun to have a conversation with your kids about how to use their special handmade bowl.
What could you keep inside?
Maybe a collection of precious treasures, such as stones or seashells?
Or you may choose to display it alone on the mantle!
However you choose to display your child’s artwork, the process of creating something together is a wonderful way to make a memory!
]]>https://artfulparent.com/how-to-make-mosaic-art-for-kids-with-air-dry-clay/feed/011465How to Make a Clay Pinch Pot Keepsake
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Fri, 01 Mar 2024 13:23:07 +0000https://artfulparent.com/?p=185818Learn how to make a sweet pinch pot keepsake using air dry clay. Once dried and painted, these make a lovely Mother’s Day gift! I don’t know about you, but it can be hard to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift for the special moms and grandmas in your life. You want to give something […]
]]>Learn how to make a sweet pinch pot keepsake using air dry clay. Once dried and painted, these make a lovely Mother’s Day gift!
I don’t know about you, but it can be hard to find the perfectMother’s Day gift for the special moms and grandmas in your life. You want to give something meaningful that expresses your gratitude for all she does, but you also want the gift to be useful, and not another tchotchke that will clutter up the shelves.
And if you have kids, it’s even better if the gift can be handmade, so they can be part of the process!
Well, luckily for you, we’ve got the perfect combination of meaningful, useful, and handmade! A sweet pinch pot dish, just the right size for holding rings or keys. And every time mom or grandma uses it, she’ll be reminded of how much she means to you!
We made these dishes for our Nana and Grandma. My kids enjoyed pinching the clay to form each little pot and then painting them just the perfect colors.
Start with a small ball of air dry clay, about the size of a golf ball. Roll it in your hands until it is smooth and round.
Make a hole
Use your thumb to press a hole into the center of the clay ball. Then, using your thumb and fingers, work your way around the edge of the hole, pinching the sides to form a pot.
Keep going
Keep working your thumb and fingers around the pot until it is the size and shape you like. If possible, try to make the sides the same thickness. You can make a cup shape or more of a dish shape. We made some of both!
Smooth the clay
Dip your fingers into water and smooth the clay until you have no cracks or bumps.
Let dry
Leave your pinch pots on the tray for a couple of days so they can dry completely.
Decorate!
Once your pots are dry, you can paint them using acrylic or tempera paint. We found we had to do a couple of coats of the BioColor paint for it to be opaque. You can also decorate your pots with paint markers!
Photo by Andrea Martelle
Aren’t these pinch pot dishes so sweet? We can’t wait to gift them on Mother’s Day! And if you’re wondering what else you can do with air dry clay, check out some of our favorite clay projects!
]]>185818How to Set Up a Playdough Play Tray
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-play/
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-play/#respondWed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/playdough-play/Playdough play is a childhood basic. Add figurines to take the playdough play to a whole new level of small world creative play for kids. Updated January 2024 We love playdough. And while we use it for building, creating, and sensory play, we most often use it for pretend play. Whenever we get the playdough […]
Whenever we get the playdough out, the dinosaurs, Paw Patrol pups, and various other little figures end up coming out, too. My kids can’t resist using the playdough to create lots of little worlds for their critters.
This open-ended play ends up being more independent and lasting longer than when my kids use playdough in other ways. Once the materials are out, I often sit back and watch as little worlds are created and stories are acted out, and my kids are completely absorbed in their play.
Find a tray or cookie sheet that your child can use. If you don’t have one on hand, try a small Tupperware bin instead. Containing the space your child uses helps to contain the creative space and makes for an easy clean up.
Add toys or materials
Because this so often is what my kids prefer to do with playdough, I’ve started keeping a variety of materials perfect for creating small worlds together in a big Tupperware container.
This makes the set up super easy to do. The materials aren’t fancy and are frequently added to as we go. (See the suggested list above.)
If you have an old hors d’oeuvres tray, these are great for sorting materials by category. You can also set out little bowls or containers with the play materials.
Play!
Sit back and watch the magic happen! You might use this as an invitation to play set up for after school winding down or for your kids first thing in the morning.
My kids like to use the playdough as a base for the figurines to stand in, as hills, volcanoes, and other landforms, as houses, and much more.
Playdough is seamlessly incorporated into their small world play, adding a new and different level of creative play to the entire experience, each time they play.
Creative Playdough Play for Kids
If your kids aren’t into little figures, we also do our fair share of playdough baking and pretending that we are the next Food Network star.
All you need to create your own playdough bakery is:
Do your kids incorporate figures and little toys into their playdough play? If not, you might want to try setting out some animal and people figurines, matchbox cars, and other little odds and ends with some playdough and a few open-ended add-ins (beads, buttons, large sequins, and toothpicks) and see what they come up with.
]]>https://artfulparent.com/playdough-play/feed/01087933 Ideas with Playdough for Kids
https://artfulparent.com/39-ideas-for-playing-with-playdough/
https://artfulparent.com/39-ideas-for-playing-with-playdough/#respondMon, 26 Feb 2024 13:47:06 +0000https://artfulparent.com/39-ideas-for-playing-with-playdough/A round up of 39 ways for kids to play and learn with playdough, including art concepts, kitchen play, science learning, literacy, and gifts.
]]>Looking for some fun playdough activities? Here are lots of ideas with playdough for kids to build, create, learn and play.
Updated January 2024
There’s so much potential with homemade playdough and it is a consistent art material that our kids are drawn to over and over again.
Maybe you’d like some fun ideas with playdough for your kids to explore.
Here’s a list packed full of playdough activities for toddlers and preschoolers to build, play and learn with playdough.
Check out this video full of creative playdough ideas, and then keep scrolling for even more fun ideas. And don’t miss The Artful Parent go-to homemade playdough: our cooked recipe for playdough and our no cook recipe.
Photo by Rachel Withers
7 Toddler Play Ideas with Playdough
1. Playdough dress up with plastic toys (from Redviolet Studio). Gather up some plastic animals and kids can give them a whole new look!
2. Playdough poke-ins to make all kinds of prickly creatures. Try toothpicks, straws, pipe cleaners, marker caps, googly eyes––all are fun to press in for kids.
3. Rolling snakes is fun but how about these adorable snails? (from Mother Natured)
This 30-page printable eBook is stuffed full of sensory play fun! An ultimate guide to sensory play, complete with our favorite recipes and tips for success!
]]>https://artfulparent.com/39-ideas-for-playing-with-playdough/feed/010230How to Make Playdough for Kids
https://artfulparent.com/no-cook-versus-cooked-homemade-playdough-recipe/
https://artfulparent.com/no-cook-versus-cooked-homemade-playdough-recipe/#commentsWed, 21 Feb 2024 12:37:26 +0000https://artfulparent.com/no-cook-versus-cooked-homemade-playdough-recipe/You want to make homemade playdough, but which is better -- cooked playdough or no cook playdough? Here are my two cents plus a recipe for our favorite no cook playdough.
Homemade playdough is awesome. It’s easy and cheap to make, the texture is smooth and playdough rubbery and a batch makes a generous amount to play with. And you can totally customize it using whatever colors, glitters and scents your kids like.
Here’s the no cook playdough recipe we like the very best, which uses the hot water method.
Note:candy food coloring (oil based) works really well for vibrantly colored playdough, but it stains, so be sure to wear gloves and cover your work surface!
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix dry playdough ingredients
In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil and food coloring. Then pour in the boiling water and mix.
Knead until the dough comes together
Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and then once it’s cool enough to hold, knead the dough until it comes together.
Note: It will look like a goopy mess, and you’llthink that you’re going to have to add a lot of flour to make it work. Just let it sit for a few minutes. It will firm up and work perfectly.
Play!
Once your playdough is ready, it’s time to play!
Pro Tips:We’ve made this no cook playdough recipe enough times to learn some tips that will ensure it comes out with the perfect texture!
Be sure to use a metal bowl or pot.
Keep the water boilingand piping hot when making this recipe.
These two tricks will ensure your playdough “cooks” and will help achieve a texture that is just right for playing!
Here’s a video showing you how to make this playdough.
This is great homemade playdough recipe to make with simple kitchen ingredients and the best part is that there is no stove-top cooking involved so the kids can help mix up their own batch!
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 Tbsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp oil
Liquid watercolors (or food coloring)
2 cups boiling water
Instructions
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Make a well in the center and add oil and coloring.
Pour in boiling water and mix.
It will look like a goopy mess and you’re going to be sure that you’re going to have to add a lot of flour to make it work. Just let it sit for a few minutes. It will firm up and work perfectly.
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it a bit to form a ball.
Play!
Notes
This playdough will keep for a few months if stored in an airtight container or plastic bag in between use.
How Do Our Different Homemade Recipes Compare?
After making both playdough recipes many times, our staff has votes for both.
Shelf life: The cooked playdough recipe we make lasts for months. The no-cook batches tend to get moist after a month or two.
It’s forgiving: Cooked playdough can be left out, uncovered, for hours, with little or no lasting effect. No cook playdough starts getting a dry and crumbly coating if left out for any length of time.
Better texture: The cooked playdough has a lovely, rubbery, squishy texture and it holds together better. Most of the no cook playdoughs are soft but pull apart quickly and you end up with more crumbs and bits of playdough all over.
However, as much as we love the cooked recipe, we admit that there are definitely times and reasons to consider making no cook as well.
Photo by Rachel Withers
No-Cook Recipe for Playdough
For a quick, easy recipe that kids can help make, no-cook is the way to go. It won’t last as long as the cooked recipe though.
More kid-friendly to make: If you want your kids (or students) to be more involved in all steps of making, then no cook is the way to go since there is no hot stove to deal with. If making the kind with boiling water, an adult can boil and pour the water, but children can help with the rest.
It’s quicker and easier: This one is a bit quicker and easier to make. Mostly just dump and mix.
Expendable: If you plan to use it for a specific purpose, such as a baking soda volcano or a kitchen table forest, then by all means whip up a quick batch of this kind.
Photo by Jean Van’t Hul
People Also Ask
How do you make no–cook playdough? Follow our recipe above to create the best batch! It’s easy and a great opportunity for your kids to join in the action!
Can you make itwithout boiling water? We find that boiling water is necessary for getting the texture just right. If you’d rather not use boiling water, check out our cooked recipe for playdough.
This 30-page printable eBook is stuffed full of sensory play fun! An ultimate guide to sensory play, complete with our favorite recipes and tips for success!
]]>https://artfulparent.com/no-cook-versus-cooked-homemade-playdough-recipe/feed/510231Our Favorite Playdough Play Ideas for Kids
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-our-favorite-for-everyday-creativity-with-kids/
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-our-favorite-for-everyday-creativity-with-kids/#commentsWed, 10 Jan 2024 15:56:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/playdough-our-favorite-for-everyday-creativity-with-kids/Here are some of our favorite playdough play ideas to get your kids’ creativity going. From pretend play to practicing letters, these activities are perfect for everyday creative play. Updated January 2024 We’re always trying out new playdough play ideas. In fact, playdough is one of our go-to materials and activities for everyday creative play. […]
]]>Here are some of our favorite playdough play ideas to get your kids’ creativity going. From pretend play to practicing letters, these activities are perfect for everyday creative play.
Updated January 2024
We’re always trying out new playdough play ideas. In fact, playdough is one of our go-to materials and activities for everyday creative play.
We keep a kitchen drawer stocked with playdough, playdough tools, and playdough “decorations” (toothpicks, beads, googly eyes, feathers). It’s easily accessible and frequently brought out, either by the kids or by me (when I see that they might need a diversion or easy activity).
For every day, endlessly enjoyable and changeable creative fun, playdough is hard to beat.
Once you have your playdough ready, here are some of the things our kids love to do over and over again with it!
Playdough Play Ideas
Photo by Rachel Withers
1. Pretend Food
Cupcakes, spaghetti, even apple pies! Kids love to use playdough to make food! They can play kitchen or restaurant and whip up lots of yummy creations to serve to friends, family, or stuffed animals.
Photo by Rachel Withers
2. Create letters and words
Playdough is perfect for practicing early reading and writing skills. Children can roll out snakes to turn into letters (also great for developing fine motor skills!) or use letter stamps to press into the dough.
Photo by Andrea Martelle
3. Sculpt People, Animals, and Things
Playdough is a great consistency for sculpting, especially for little hands. Kids can create tiny worlds with mountains, volcanoes, and trees for their little toy animals. Or they can sculpt the animals (or maybe even monsters!) that live in the tiny worlds!
There’s nothing more satisfying for kids to poke anything and everything into a blob of playdough! We love different shaped pasta, cut up straws, buttons, nuts and bolts, toothpicks, and even googly eyes!
Here’s a video showing some of my favorite Playdough Play Ideas in action!
How about you? What are your kids favorite playdough play ideas?
]]>https://artfulparent.com/playdough-our-favorite-for-everyday-creativity-with-kids/feed/210184Playdough Pretend Play Ideas
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-pretend-play-ideas/
https://artfulparent.com/playdough-pretend-play-ideas/#respondMon, 01 Jan 2024 23:16:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/playdough-pretend-play-ideas/Our favorite way to use playdough: as a pretend play tool! Here are some of our pretend play ideas for kids using playdough. Updated February 2024 We don’t know about your kids, but when our kids play with playdough, it usually turns into a pretend play fest more often than simply sculpture or art. Whether […]
]]>Our favorite way to use playdough: as a pretend play tool! Here are some of our pretend play ideas for kids using playdough.
Updated February 2024
We don’t know about your kids, but when our kids play with playdough, it usually turns into a pretend play fest more often than simply sculpture or art.
Whether they are setting up a playdough bakery or creating a small world for their animal figures, kids love to use playdough for pretend play.
Here are 5 of our favorite pretend play ideas for playdough!
Whip up a batch of apple pie playdough and let your kids set up their own bakery or restaurant! All you need are a few silicone cupcake liners, buttons, beads or sequins for sprinkles, and maybe even some candles!
You can make spooky creatures any time of year, but we especially love these at Halloween! Before you get started, take a look around the house for buttons, Lego parts, beads, pipe cleaners that your kids can use to create their own playdough monsters!
Add your child’s favorite small toys or animal figurines to take the playdough play to a whole new level of small world creative play for kids. We keep these materials in a large Tupperware container with the playdough, so it’s ready whenever the kids get the urge to play.
This is the best activity for the kids table at Thanksgiving! Add some Autumnal feathers and glitter, and a dash of cinnamon to your playdough for a Fall sensory experience.
]]>https://artfulparent.com/playdough-pretend-play-ideas/feed/0108925 Easy After School Art Invitations for Kids
https://artfulparent.com/5-after-school-art-invitations-for-kids-easy-to-setup-in-under-5-minutes/
https://artfulparent.com/5-after-school-art-invitations-for-kids-easy-to-setup-in-under-5-minutes/#respondMon, 11 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000https://artfulparent.com/5-after-school-art-invitations-for-kids-easy-to-setup-in-under-5-minutes/Catalina Gutierrez of Redviolet Studio shares her 5 favorite after-school art invitations for kids. Her boys loved these and they’re easy to set up in under 5 minutes! Updated August 2023 After my children were born, I started experimenting with all kinds of activities and invitations to distract them, engage them, and secretly buy myself […]
]]>Catalina Gutierrez of Redviolet Studio shares her 5 favorite after-school art invitations for kids. Her boys loved these and they’re easy to set up in under 5 minutes!
Updated August 2023
After my children were born, I started experimenting with all kinds of activities and invitations to distract them, engage them, and secretly buy myself some time to do other things around the house, or maybe just drink a cup of tea in peace.
I would often try to set up simple invitations to create or explore. And I found that not only did they really enjoy them, but it was a fun and playful way to work on certain skills.
Basically, an invitation to createisboth an opportunity to entice a child to make art as well as an opportunity to introduce a new material, technique, or activity.
Here are a few simple after school art invitations for school aged kids that are on my favorite list. These are ones my kids have loved, and I hope yours will too.
Keep in mind that you can make these after-school art invitations as simple or complex as you wish; you can always add more materials or work around what you have at home to make it easy to set up in less than 5 minutes.
Photo by Catalina Gutierrez
After School Art Invitations
MATERIALS (These are all the materials needed for these 5 activities)
This is one of our all-time favorites! We’ve been making stickers for years and the boys still love it.
All you need is white sticker paper (or white sticky labels) and markers. I’ve collected stamps over the years, so we’ll use those for extra fun. But you don’t really need these.
They can start by drawing on the white side of the paper or label (make sure they are not drawing on the sticky side). Another fun option is to stamp and color their stamp outlines and then cut out their own sticker creations. I guarantee you at least an hour or more of fun!
Photo by Catalina Gutierrez
2. Make Your Own Gift Tags
This is another favorite as kids love the idea of working on a smaller format.
I pre-cut a bunch of small squares and rectangles (about 3×4 or 4x4in) out of sturdy white paper and set it out on the table next to markers and/or watercolors and let them go to town. If you have stickers, you can set those out, too.
My kids have been making and giving these for years and they enjoy it so much. I often join in the process as I find it to be relaxing and fun.
Don’t be afraid to bring some paint into the game! Watercolors are washable and easy to clean up. And once you mix them with oil pastels the effect is super cool because the oil pastels resist the paint, and the colors pop out really nicely. You can do this with nice watercolor paper or just white cardboard.
This is a relaxing activity, perfect to wind down after a hectic school day.
I know the name sounds fancy, but I promise this is really fun and easy to set up. I’ve done it with lots of different things.
Sometimes I use simple stuff I have around the house, like flowers, toys or fruits. When I’m feeling inspired, I bring in something more fun like cupcakes or donuts and set them right in the middle of the table next to paper, markers, or any kind of paint you have.
And then I ask the boys try and focus on the objects (or food) on the table and draw/paint them from observation.
Almost every household has some playdough lying around so this is an easy one to set up. My kids (age 7 & 9) prefer clay over playdough, so I will also do this with air dry clay.
Set out either the playdough or the clay next to some tools (you can use things you have at home like old toothbrushes, knives, toothpicks, rollers, scissors, etc.). Add in some pasta, or other loose parts (things such as lids, buttons, sticks, nails, small rocks, etc.) and let them do the rest!
Your kids will come up with some pretty creative pieces, I promise!
Photo by Catalina Gutierrez
I hope you give these invitations a try! Like I said, you can make them as easy or “fancy” as you desire! But I suggest keeping it simple so it’s something you feel comfortable doing often.
I usually try to set up before the kids get home from school and that way, they can go right to it while they have a snack and unwind from their day. These are just a few ideas, but as you start doing it, you will come up with your very own, based on the things you have at home.
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