As far as Christmas activities for kids go, this playful toddler art is simple, potentially messy, big on exploring new materials and just plain fun to create.
Miss K points to the shopping centre ceiling as I (quickly) whizz through the shops, pushing her pram. Golden baubles, pretty sparkly lights and lush green foliage hang from the high ceilings. It’s pretty, and sure to grab any toddler’s attention.
Later that morning, I happen to scrummage through our art cupboard and found a container of sparkly craft sequins. Unlike her twin brothers at this age, Miss K (almost 2) doesn’t put things in her mouth when playing and creating, so I figured it would be a great time to let her explore this new sparkly material.
This Christmas activity for kids is not restricted to just toddlers. Older kids would have loads of fun with this, I am sure. The open-ended nature of this Christmas activity lets kids explore and create, no matter their age and skill, so long as they are no longer putting things in their mouths when playing and creating.
To create this playful toddler art, you will need:
- a large piece of cardboard or paper
- objects to print with (we used small cardboard toilet paper rolls),
- different shades of green paint
- optional, glue (I used a spray adhesive for bonding and mounting)
- craft sequins.
First, explore printing by dipping your given object (or objects) in different shades of green paint, and printing it onto the piece of cardboard. Older children may like to create different shapes with their printing, e.g. creating a Christmas tree using their prints. Miss K enjoyed experimenting with the different surfaces of the toilet paper roll she could print with. At first she was printing circles, soon she was rolling the toilet paper roll around like a rolling pin, then she began using it like a brush.
Once printing has been completed, if you have a spray adhesive for bonding and mounting, take the finished wet print outside and spray on the glue. Otherwise, you can wait for the paint to dry and brush on some glue. Another option would be to skip the glue entirely and just apply the sequins to the wet paint.
Now for the very playful, and potentially messy part. Let your child/children experiment with applying the sequins to their prints. I gave Miss K a spoon, and for a while she did use it for scooping and pouring. Soon she was using her hands, sprinkling small amounts, then handfuls onto her print. Then, she decided to dump the whole bowl of beautiful sequins onto her print.
Regardless of the ways in which the sequins find their way onto the prints, and although it’s the process rather than the product which is at the heart of this Christmas activity for kids, the sparkly colours on the green background can’t be missed. It is, as Mr E (3yo) puts it, like a beautiful rainbow.
Miss K loved playing and creating with craft sequins.
What are some ways your children play or create with sequins?
More Activities for Babies and Toddlers
Zero to Two: The Book of Play is full of fun activities for babies and toddlers. There are 25 ideas for babies and toddlers, with additional links to over 50+ activities. A great resource for parents. Download your copy here.
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