Crafts are a fun project to do with kids that help keep them entertained and allows you guys to bond. The best part about crafts is that there are so many fun and unique ones to try, meaning you never have to do the same craft with your child more than once! The second best thing about crafts is that they can also be educational!
At Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, we know how beneficial crafts can be for kids. In our programs, we have our students complete different crafting projects that teach them different things. We wanted to give you some ideas to try at home! In previous blogs, we have given you craft ideas for fun holiday crafts to do with your kids. In this blog, we are going to talk about some crafts that are educational and can help your child learn or improve on a skill. Read on and try these fun crafts!
Rainbow Craft For Colors
This rainbow craft is fun, easy, and can help teach your child about colors! This is a simple craft but you may need to help with the setup!
For this project, you will need:
- A sheet of white construction paper
- Construction paper in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
- Scissors
- Cotton balls
- Glue stick
- Black marker
To get started on this project, draw or use a template of a rainbow on the white sheet of construction paper. If you choose to draw it, be sure to make each color stripe of the rainbow thick and don’t forget to add clouds at each end. Label each of the color sections with the name of the color. For example, the top stripe of the rainbow is labeled “red,” the next one is labeled “orange,” and so on.
Once your rainbow outline is done, you will need to cut up the colored construction paper into small squares. If only one child is making this craft, you will likely only need half a piece of construction paper for each color. If you have a paper cutting, this can make the process simpler! Cut each color into strips and then cut the strips into little squares. They do not need to be the same size.
Once you have finished cutting each color, your child can get started! Have your kiddo name the colors as they add them to the rainbow. They can use the glue stick to add the colors to the rainbow.
Whether your child fills in one color at the same time or alternates colors is up to you and them. But make sure they are putting them in the right stop and help them start memorizing the colors and what they are called. You can even ask them if they can name anything else this is one of the colors.
Once they have glued the colored squares to the rainbow, they can unroll or tear the cotton balls apart and glue them to the clouds! And that’s it! Display their rainbow on your fridge and let them point out the colors every time they walk by.
Alphabet Magnets For Letters
Letter magnets are fun to add to your fridge and a great way for your kiddos to learn their letters. While you can always buy letter magnets at the store, you could also have your child make their own!
There are a few different ways you could do this project. You could create your own letters out of cardboard and construction paper and have your child decorate them or you could buy small wooden letters online and use those. We found a great place to get wooden letters, making this craft simpler! For this example, we are going to give instructions based on the wooden letters.
For This Project, You Will Need:
- Wooden letters A – Z
- Paint
- Glitter
- Buttons and beads
- Magnets
- Hot glue gun
Give your child all the craft and art supplies they need to decorate their letters. Let them paint each letter, add fun designs, and decorate with glitter, buttons, beads, and anything else you may find.
As your child decorates their letters, talk to them about the letters, the sounds they make, and words that start with each letter. This will help them start to learn the letters as they continue their art project. Make sure they do not decorate the back of the letters. This is where the magnet will go and it will stick better if there is no paint.
Once your child is done decorating each letter, let them dry completely. Once they are dry, help your child and use the hot glue gun to add a magnet to the back of each letter. Depending on the strength of your magnets, you may need more than one on the back of each letter to keep them from falling off the fridge.
Once your magnets are glued onto the letters and everything is dry, you can help your kiddo add these letters to the fridge and arrange them in alphabetical order or start spelling words!
Number Jellyfish For Counting
This jellyfish craft is a fun way to help teach your child how to count and is simply adorable!
For This Project, You Will Need:
- Cardboard
- Construction paper
- Yarn or pipe cleaners
- Plastic beads
- Markers or paint
- Scissors
- Hole punch
While you don’t absolutely need cardboard for this project, it can help keep your jellyfish stiff and easier to move around and display.
To get started, cut a half-circle out of the cardboard, this will be the jellyfish’s body. Let your child choose what color of construction paper they want to use for the body. Once they have picked, they can glue it onto the cardboard. If you trust your child with scissors, you can have them cute the construction paper around the cardboard or you can do it for them.
Next, use a single hole punch to punch holes along the flat edge of the half-circle. This is what you will use for the numbers, so if you want your child to start counting to 10, add 10 hole punches, evenly spaced.
Then, cut a piece of yarn or pipe cleaner to add to each hole. Again, if you have 10 hole punches, make sure you have 10 pieces of yarn. Make each of these long enough to tie through the hole punch and still have room for the beads. Help your child tie these pieces of yarn or pipe cleaner to the jellyfish in each of the hole punches.
Then have your child start counting beads! Have your kiddo count out one bead for the first piece of yarn, two beads for the second, and so on. Add the beads to each of the yarn pieces and tie a knot at the end so they won’t slip off.
Finally, have your child decorate the jellyfish! Have them add eyes, a smile, and any other designs they want to add. One they are done, take a marker and write the numbers above each of the hole punches. This way, your kiddo can see the number, count the beads, and start learning to count!
Hang this on the fridge and bring it out every time you work on counting with your kiddo!
These three crafts are fun and educational for your child! They can be used to help your kiddo learn the alphabet, numbers, and colors, plus, they are a great way to help your child learn how to follow instructions and work on their fine motor skills!
Try these crafts and be sure to check out the Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development programs. With locations in Plymouth, Minnetonka, Maple Grove, and Eden Prairie, it is easy to find a great child care center for your kiddo! Contact us with any questions you may have.