Stimulate your child’s imagination with these fun crafts

Winter is on its way and we can already feel the chill in the air, which means playing outside today will most likely be off the cards. Don’t worry, you can keep your child busy indoors with these fun crafts.

Cardboard puppets with googly eyes

There is no end to the characters you can create with this sensory craft. When the puppets are complete, your child can enjoy playing with them in a way that boosts her confidence and engages her imagination.

You will need

• White cardboard
• Poster paint in orange, yellow and brown
• Googly eyes
• Paintbrushes or sponge brush
• Black marker
• Scissors
• Ice cream sticks
• Glue
• A wet cloth to clean your child’s feet before changing colours.

How to make it

1. Lay down newspaper or a plastic table cloth on the floor, and place the cardboard on top.
2. Sit your little one on the floor and paint one of her feet in the first colour.
3. Press her foot onto the cardboard and remove.
4. Clean the paint from her foot with the cloth and repeat with the other colours.
5. Allow the paint to dry completely.
6. Glue on the googly eyes and draw on a mouth and nose with the marker.
7. Cut out the animals and glue them onto ice cream sticks.

Pretty paper butterflies

Once the butterfly is completed, your child can move her hands up and down so she can see how the wings start to flap as she runs around the lounge (if you’ll allow it).

You will need

• White paper
• Pencil
• Black marker
• Khokis or pencil crayons
• Scissors
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Glitter or glitter glue (optional)

How to make it

1. On a white piece of paper, draw a long oval that’s about ¾ the length of your child’s hand. Now draw a small circle at one end to form the head of the butterfly and outline with the marker to cover any pencil marks.
2. Colour in the body and head, and cut out.
3. Glue on two googly eyes and draw on a mouth.
4. To make the legs, colour in and then cut out six strips of paper that are each 1cm x 8cm long.
5. Fold the legs into an accordion and then glue them onto the body of the butterfly, three per side.
   To create the butterfly wings, fold the paper in half and draw a 5cm x 4cm block over the fold. This will then be attached to the body of the butterfly. Using the block as a base, draw the wings and cut out the block and wings as a single piece.
6. Now the fun begins. Colour in the wings and remember, the brighter the better.
7. Place glue on the underside of the block and attach it to the body.
8. Create a wrist strap from the paper measuring 13cm x 1.5cm. Glue the butterfly to the strap and join the two ends of the strap together.
9. Slip over your child’s hand and let the flapping begin.

Make a dinosaur from a paper plate

If your little one is a dinosaur fan, this craft is a must! It’s quick and easy to do and perfect for tots of about three years of age, who will love painting their creations and drawing on the faces.

You will need

• A large paper plate
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Glue
• Toilet roll
• Poster paint
• Paintbrush or sponge brush
• Googly eyes
• Black marker

How to make it

1. Fold and cut the paper plate in half to create the body of the dinosaur.
2. On the other half of the plate, draw and cut out a head and tail, and a few triangular spikes.
3. Glue the spikes onto the rounded side of the other half of the paper plate.
4. Glue on the head and tail, and allow to dry.
5. Measure 3cm into each side of the toilet roll and cut to create the feet.
6. Cut slits into the opposite end of the toilet roll, a third of the way down.
7. Place the body into the slits of the feet – your dinosaur should now be able to stand on its own.
8. Using a tablecloth or newspaper to protect the table surface, let your child paint the dinosaur and allow the paint to dry.
9. To make the face, stick on a googly eye and use the marker to make the mouth.
10. Give the dinosaur a name and let the fun games begin.