Crafts with Toddlers. A Camomile from Natural Materials

Today I’ve found out how to make our little daughter (16 mo) be interested in walking outside (for her not to just stand meditatively or move chaotically) – imagine these sometimes wet and sometimes windy autumn days… We were picking up maple seeds. And not for nothing – for crafts.

Camomile made from maple seeds, a piece of macaroni and plasticine

I borrowed the idea of this flower from my friend: her 5-year-old daughter made a similar flower in the art school. But even a 1-year-old toddler is able to make it. And what of it that mummy’s hands guide the ones of the toddler?! The craft has not become less interesting because of it. Soniya was making the balls from plasticine herself. She also learnt how to work with a plastic knife. Afterwards, for 15-20 minutes, she was busy with the three flowers that we had made. To put the flowers into the vase, to take them out, to sort them – all this brought her so much joy! In the end, of course, all the flowers turned to be disassembled but it was also a part of the educational process!

And I was happy that together with our little one we:

a) entered the field of art and crafts;
b) worked at Soniya’s motor skills;
c) got acquainted with natural materials much closer;
d) our toddler sensed one more aspect of life (to create flowers, to place them into a vase – all this refers to aesthetics and beauty!)

Such flowers can be made with toddlers as a present for their mummy/daddy/grandma and grandpa or other relatives and friends for their birthdays, for Christmas, Women’s Day, etc. Just do not forget to provide yourself with natural material in autumn!

What other arts and crafts have entered in the life of our little daughter? We:

• draw and paint;
• model from playdough and plasticine;
• and even when learning English as a foreign language, we are also engaged in crafts.

Anastasia

Illustrations to the Article

by the author of the article

You can read this article in Russian here.