LO turns 1 this week, and I would love to start thinking about introducing fun arts & crafts activities. Is it too early? I'd love to give her nanny a few new ideas too!
When did you introduce arts & crafts?
What did you start with? I'd love some ideas!
When did LO really start enjoying it (really paying attention)?
honeydew / 7622 posts
Not exactly answering your question but I saw these posted on the blog awhile back, they would require some of the same fine motor skills that crafts would, buuuut 1 may be a little young since it says 3 and up. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BB53OO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1AZVE933JQS80&coliid=I28ZX10ABEFHVR
honeydew / 7916 posts
LO is 6 months and we started a couple months ago with some very basic hand/finger painting! Our first project involved me painting his hand, stamping on the paper quickly, and washing the paint off before he could eat it, but you can make DIY paint too. Then I realized you could squirt some paint on paper and stick it all in a ziploc bag for no mess. There are lots of great baby/toddler art ideas on Pinterest!
ETA: I've been thinking about getting this book; there are similar books on Amazon too!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590309642/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
We started young but mostly because I wanted to, not because he did! The first thing he really got into was play doh and pipe cleaners. He wasn't strong enough yet for a cookie cutter but he could stick the pipe cleaner into the play dough ball. He still enjoys that at 22 months, although he is venturing out a bit!
Finger painting is another great one! If you make edible paint then it isn't a big deal if they put it in their mouths. Just keep your expectations low...they are going to put it everywhere but the paper and make a huge mess most likely. But it is so fun and they learn so much 
A cleaner alternative is to use bingo dot markers. LO loves these, and they make very little mess. He holds it and bangs it on the paper to make dots.
pomelo / 5258 posts
LO is 22 months and we just started arts and crafts at home during the holidays. She started brining home crafts from daycare at about 16 months. I guess that is when she got interested. The crafts are still mainly completed by the women at daycare.
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
Lo is in a mixed age class at daycare and they do art projects, and she did finger painting there at 7 months! Today I actually made edible finger paint at home-- it was a mix of cornstarch, hot water, and food dye-- and she painted here with me for the first time.
pomelo / 5093 posts
We've just started at about three, which is the earliest my daughter was interested for her own sake. I'm really opposed to adult lead crafts (unless you're doing it because YOU find it fun, in which case, awesome), but now she's finally taking an interest.
She's had an easel for a while now, and she's enjoyed drawing on that at times. But the real crafty stuff is just now getting pulled out.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
E's 21 months and only recently got interested in coloring. It doesn't hold her interest for long. We were gifted some bath paints, too, but we haven't started much else.
apricot / 263 posts
Around 18 months, we bought a big pad of paper and a box of fat Crayolas. I can't draw for beans, but DH would draw these awesome big pictures for her to color and she'd scrawl across the page.
LO just turned two and we're starting to introduce more arts and crafts, like Play Doh. And for Christmas, we had her make scribbles on green construction paper that we cut into Christmas trees for ornaments. We also got a box of pipe cleaners and wooden beads at Target, and she likes stringing the beads on the pipe cleaners.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
We started young but LO 1 wasn't really interested until she was 2. LO 2 is very interested but she likes to eat everything so I have to modify activities.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We began at 18 months, but it was more about exploring the medium rather than the finished project. For example, I made playdough and gave my son some thick penned pasta and he went to town sticking it in. I'd also plop him in his high chair and put down some globs of finger paint and let him spread it around his tray. I have videos of those events, but no finished products, so you kind of have to get comfortable with that idea.
The one thing that we did that was a bust was coloring with chalk on the balcony...I couldn't scrub it out!
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
@looch: ooh the pasta is a great idea to stick in the play doh! I am stealing that
pomegranate / 3375 posts
@looch: @Mrs. Lion: I love the idea of sticking stuff in Playdough. Our girl is a food monster, so I'm sure it'll be a bit of a challenge to get her to understand the difference between crafts and food. I will have to make my own (edible) playdough, as I'm sure she will end up trying to eat it every 5 seconds.
pomegranate / 3375 posts
@spaniellove: The bag + paint is a great idea. And, it's more of a sensory play thing, which is great!
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
@littlejoy: Salt dough is REALLY salty! The salt taste is usually a deterrent from eating it (it tastes gross) but I had to be careful to take it away if he put too much in his mouth...I think I remember salt being something to limit when they are teeny I use this recipe! http://www.hellobee.com/2014/04/23/ready-to-go-homemade-play-dough/ I wouldn't use anything that smells or tastes good, because it may confuse her even more and make her WANT to eat it
papaya / 10570 posts
We have been drawing with wax crayons and painting since she was 6 months old. I started off with home made, edible finger paints then when she was 1 I bought washable paint. She eats more than she puts on the paper - like, great fist fulls of the stuff! - but it doesn't seem to bother her! At 16 months, I introduced stickers and glitter so we could make Christmas cards.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@sarac: Why are you opposed to adult-led crafts? Do you mean, you don't like the adult making the child do a craft a certain way, hampering creativity? I can understand that, but I have done adult-led crafts at a young age that my daughter enjoyed for the introduction to a new, stimulating activity and also produced great keepsakes.
At about 6 months old, we started doing handprint & footprint crafts for gifts & keepsakes. Not as often as I would like but it's messy! I would use edible paint so my daughter could play with it and eat if she liked.
Now at 14 months, we will finger paint in her high chair and I let her do whatever she wants in addition to the specific "piece" I may have in mind. One time we stuck pasta to a paper bag with paint but she wasn't really into it. Oh, and she has bath paints & crayons too but she eats them. I'd really like to branch out!
pomelo / 5093 posts
@daniellemybelle: Yes, that's exactly my point. I'm just really opposed to the daycare style, totally adult directed kind of craft. Playing with art stuff, exploring - awesome. I'm not personally into that, so I didn't pull it out just of my own accord, but if you are, awesome.
eggplant / 11716 posts
My almost 18 month old loves drawing/scribbling on paper so I bought her color wonder markers and paper and she goes to town. She also is obsessed with stickers and those entertain her for a looong time.
It was actually her daycare teachers that told me she likes to draw--we'd never really tried it at home--but they are right, she loves it!
She already attempts to draw "a ball" she says, which is a cute, really bad almost-circle.
bananas / 9357 posts
He hasn't really gotten into it until recently at 2 years old. He likes to draw with crayons or chalk outside. He also likes play-doh. It still doesn't really hold his attention for very long either.
coconut / 8430 posts
LO started at 16 months at daycare. I think it started capturing her attention a bit more after 2 years. She loves stickers and I can see that she is putting them on the paper with purpose now. For instance, she doesn't like them to touch and the other day she started putting all of the square ones in a line and pulled one off when it didn't go on the paper quite the way she liked it to.
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