Getting my toddler to sit still can be a near-impossible feat. He’s constantly exploring the world like a real life action figure. That’s a good thing, but sometimes he needs some creative downtime. That’s where toddler crafts come in.

Crafting is great for toddlers for a number of reasons. It can help them develop longer attention spans which is a great preparation for their school experience. Most crafts help develop hand-eye coordination and young children can benefit from learning how to follow simple instructions. Here are some craft ideas that your toddler can do (with supervision).

Craft Stick Puppets

Puppets are fascinating to toddlers. Creating their own puppets is easy, and it’s lots of fun. All you really need are some craft or popsicle sticks, construction paper, safety scissors, markers and glue.

Help your toddler cut animal shapes out of construction paper. He can draw faces and other details with washable markers. Glue the stick to the back of the shape, let dry, and he’s ready to put on a puppet show. If you want to make more elaborate puppets, try cutting shapes out of foam. Glue on a pom pom for the nose, and add some googly eyes.

Paint with Pudding

Kids love to fingerpaint, but it’s so messy. There’s also the concern about them eating the paint. Even if the paints are nontoxic, it can make cautious parents uneasy. The solution? Let them paint with pudding!

You don’t need different flavors to make different colors. Just use one serving of plain vanilla pudding, divide it up into small portions, and add food coloring to create various shades. Give your child a paper plate to use as a canvas for his masterpiece. When he’s done, he can eat it with no worries.

Design a T-Shirt

If your toddler sees you sewing or painting clothes with fabric paint, she may want to try her hand at designing clothes. But needles are small and sharp, and fabric paint is messy. What to do? Break out the markers!

Kids can have a blast decorating a plain white t-shirt with colorful markers. If you use washable ones, they can create a design, wear it, and start over after you wash the shirt. If a permanent design is desired, however, you’ll have to let him use non-washable markers. You can avoid a mess by covering the work area with newspaper or brown paper grocery bags and putting a smock on your toddler.

Placemats

Making placemats out of contact paper is very easy. Have your toddler cut shapes out of construction paper and glue them onto a whole piece with a glue stick. He can add detail with markers or embellish with stickers. When he’s done, place the artwork on a piece of contact paper, sticky side up. Place another sheet of contact paper on top, sticky side down.

Most toddlers will only have the patience to make one placemat at a time. But he can make another one tomorrow, continuing until there are enough for the whole table. He’ll be so proud to know that everyone sees his artwork at every meal!

Crafting can help your toddler learn important skills while keeping him quietly occupied. Whether it’s a rainy day or he’s just feeling creative, seize the opportunity to let him channel his imagination into something you can both admire.

I ran across a pattern that I would like to share with you today. These are both beautiful and very useful to protect your scissors and crochet hooks.

It’s always nice to add FREE patterns to your stash. Enjoy.

My daughter-in-law does make beautiful scrapbooks and has the Create, so I opted for the Cricut Personal Cutter. You see, each machine comes with a different cartridge (the heart of the system) so if I purchased this model, we figured out that we could swap the cartridges and double our collection. I’ve been recycling candle containers by etching on the glass which is a fun five minute project with Armour Etch. The fabric appliques are next on my agenda, so I will keep you informed.

For example, if your family includes furry pets, do you really want to “puddle” your draperies on the floor to catch every piece of dog or cat hair that floats by?  Don’t worry.  By next season that style will be gone, so stick with the classic window treatments and you won’t be overwhelmed with vacuuming every day.  If dusting is your challenge,  pick out furniture with clean lines and not a lot of ornate decoration and keep the “nic nacs”  to a minimum.    I do have a handy little helper gizmo to help you out with the dusting chore.  The bedroom can be your sanctuary or just another messy room.  If you dislike making the bed, then stick with bedding that is easy care and not a selection of multiple pieces complete with 14 toss pillows to put into place every day.  A coverlet that can be pulled up in a jiffy may be more your style.

I often chuckle at the youngsters looking for their first home on the “house hunting” shows.  They are looking for the stylish items that might also be a pain in the neck to clean.  Matching stainless appliances may look great in the showroom, but require extra fingerprint removal unless they have a treated surface.   Hardwood floors make their eyes sparkle, but they can be a real challenge to clean unless they are sealed properly.  I look at the current home or apartment they are living in, complete with clutter and dismal upkeep and wonder what this new home will look like in six months.

Gadgets, gizmos and appliances that work well will help you to keep your home in order.  I’m not a “cleaning nut” and in fact, I try to keep up as I go so that my house cleaning is at a minimum.  If everything is picked up, bed made, kitchen and bathroom clean, then I’m a happy camper.  Of course, getting cooperation and help from your family may be your biggest challenge, but it can be done.  Keeping clutter to a minimum will always make your home look tidy.

My Favorite New Gadget . . . The Go Duster

I love gadgets.  I especially like those “As Seen on TV” products, but I don’t order them off the commercial.  Many stores have a great selection of these items to purchase without the dreaded shipping and handling charges.

The Go Duster was a real bargain at $4.99.  It comes with both a small and large static duster attachment, runs on double A batteries and makes the dusting chore . . . no chore!  Try it out on your lampshades, silk flowers and all the legs of your dining chairs and you will be smitten.  My grandson calls it his “spinny duster” and loves to help grandma dust all the furniture.  You will cut your dusting time to 1/3 of the time it used to take to accomplish the task.   The smaller duster is perfect for all your electronics and figurines.  Quick, easy and stress free!

Open your world for free at the library!  Librarians have been reporting record visitors and issuance of library cards over the last year.   If your budget is tight, the prices at the book store may be out of reach.  That may be the reason you decide to make your first visit,  but once you are there, you will find multiple reasons to return.  What does the library offer?  Books, magazines, newspapers,  movies, video games, music and even artwork can be checked out.  If you need time on the internet, computers are available for you to use as well.  People researching their family history can visit the genealogy room for additional resources.  The branch in your neighborhood may have limited quantities of these services, so I recommend that you visit the main library in your town for the full experience.

As a single mom for many years, I was always looking for something to share with my son that didn’t cost too much money.  Saturday was always a special day for us and the library fit into our day quite well.  After the house cleaning chores were done in the morning, our afternoon was spent browsing through all three floors of the library.  I never hurried him along, encouraging him to explore.  This became such a popular event, that my niece and nephew wanted to tag along with us.  My sister always was on such a tight schedule that she only gave the children about 15 minutes to look around.  We always spent at least two hours there and sometimes, even more.

The love of reading is the best gift you can give a child.   Whether the book is about bugs, trees, cars, monsters or robots, it develops reading skills and encourages imagination.   Take a child to the library and you will be delighted with the results.

Hobby Tip

If you already enjoy a hobby, then good for you.  Hobbies are not only good for your mind and spirit, but for your health as well.   The library offers such a wide variety of hobby and craft books.  I often check out ten books at a time to search for new ideas and patterns.  If you are looking for a new hobby, there are so many wonderful choices too.  You can create things for yourself or gifts for others.  Your new creation may be so admired that you may want to start your own craft business.  All the information you would need is right there at the library!

If you asked most moms of small children, the concept of doing more than one thing at a time was second nature long before the term multitasking was coined.  Add a full or part-time job to the mix and you can lose your temper or even your sanity.  Some tasks demand immediate attention,  like changing a diaper or cleaning up a spill.  Other chores can be eased into your day without a lot of extra effort.   A little organization and simple planning will save your energy, reduce stress, save money and better your life.

Cooking, sewing, laundry and housecleaning are not just “womens work”, they are life skills.   Every family member should learn and practice these skills.  Being a good cook doesn’t require a culinary degree and sewing on a button or mending a torn seam doesn’t require a fashion degree.  Being frugal doesn’t require washing and reusing plastic sandwich bags if you don’t want to go quite that far, but if you do,  good for you.

Let’s save Time, Money and Energy!