10 inspiring craft ideas for Spring

Spring itself provides ample inspiration for toddler crafts as nature awakens from its winter sleep and the flowers burst into life. Add to that the numerous ‘special days’ in the calendar at this time of year and I’m rushing for the gluesticks!

On the other hand, as toddler group leaders, it can be hard to get excited about all that preparation (particularly the cutting out) followed by all the clearing up (scraping the playdough out of the church carpet). If you are feeling this way, then take a moment to remind yourself of the benefits of this activity by reading the article “Why is craft so important?” Hopefully this, coupled with the following 10 easy-peasy ideas, will have you rushing for the gluesticks too!

1. Flower collage
   Cut pictures of flowers from gardening magazines, seed catalogues, etc. and use them to make a ‘garden’ collage. As a more structured activity for the older children, you could provide some orange flowerpot shapes so they can make a row of flowerpots, draw stems coming out of them and then stick the flowers on top.
2. Egg box caterpillars
   Cut a cardboard egg box in half lengthways and staple the two rows together to form a caterpillar (or buy boxes of 10 eggs and just use one of the halves). Paint and/or decorate the caterpillar with sticky spots and draw or stick two eyes on the front. Pierce two holes in the top of the head and thread through a short piece of pipe cleaner for antennae. Remember to use only clean egg boxes, although the government has now dispelled the health and safety myths that children are at risk from egg boxes and toilet rolls.
3. Butterfly printing
   You need to warn the parents and have enough overalls for this one! However, if you use thick fingerpaints, add a little washing-up liquid and avoid the blue/black/purple colours, they are less likely to stain. It’s easiest to draw the butterfly shape onto the paper before painting but leave the cutting out until after they have dried. Try providing only two colours and the colour produced when they mix, e.g. blue, yellow and green, to avoid those horrible browns. Alternatively, stick squares of coloured paper or tissue paper onto the butterfly shapes with a gluestick to minimise the mess.
4. Paper plate masks
   Make masks from paper plates by cutting out a quarter-segment for the nose, two holes for the eyes and stapling a piece of thin elastic around the back to hold it on their heads.
   To make a rabbit – glue on ears, a pink nose and draw on the whiskers.
   To make a sheep – glue on lots of cotton wool balls then ears and a nose.
   To make a chick – glue on an orange beak and lots of yellow feathers.
5. Valentine’s Day – February 14th
   Stick small balls of scrunched up red tissue paper onto heart-shaped cards or use multicoloured tissue paper on red cards. Use gluesticks for minimum mess or small amounts of PVA in saucers with lollypop stick applicators. For a neater result, provide the tissue paper pre-cut into standard sizes (approx. 1" square) or, alternatively, let them enjoy tearing off their own pieces.
6. Pancake Day – March 8th, 2011
   Make or buy scotch pancakes to decorate with jam, chocolate spread and colourful pieces of softer fruits, e.g. red and green grapes, kiwi, melon, strawberries. Avoid bananas as they go brown, unless you’re going to eat them immediately. As with all food crafts – you must CHECK FOR ALLERGIES first. And remember to provide a bowl of soapy water and a towel for washing hands. It’s also a good idea not to put all the fruit out at once or there will be none left for any late-comers. For an interesting twist, you can top these with mini-marshmallows and bake at Gas Mark 4 (180oC/350oF) for 10 mins, until the marshmallows melt and brown.
7. St David’s Day – March 1st
   Print out flags to colour in and use sticky tape to stick the flags to short garden canes or super-long straws. Remember to leave a tab of paper at the front to wrap around the cane. The clearest template I’ve come across for the Welsh flag is at www.data-wales.co.uk/flag2.htm
8. Mothering Sunday – April 3rd, 2011
   Cut out a simple teapot-shaped greetings card for the children to decorate. A template is available at http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/download_info.php?fileID=374 and you can add your own pattern to make the colouring more interesting. Inside, tape a 3" square of card along three sides to form a pocket and insert a teabag. If you like, you could print off sticky labels with the following rhyme which I found on the website www.hummingbirded.com for them to stick in.
   
        Here is a gift for mother’s day
        I’ll try my best in every way.
        But when you get upset with me,
        Relax and have a cup of tea!
9. St Patrick’s Day – March 17th
   Cut a shamrock shape from card and make holes all round the edge with a hole-punch. Use green garden twine, wool or ribbon to practise threading and even tying bows. You can buy bodkins (flat, blunt needles for threading elastic) at a haberdashery to make the threading easier, or tie the string to a paperclip and then squash it to fit through. You’ll find a shamrock template at www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/mlacing.htm
10. Easter Sunday – April 24th, 2011
    Paint small terracotta pots with poster or acrylic paints. Remember to use a pencil to write the child’s name on the bottom first and provide painting aprons or old shirts to protect clothing. The pots can be further decorated with stickers or even felt tips once dry and coated with PVA glue, which dries clear and seals the surface. For an instant result divide up clumps of tête-à-tête daffodils and provide potting compost for each child to plant one flower in their pot as an Easter gift. For a slower growing display provide bulbs and instructions for watering once they get home. This activity could be split over two sessions and expanded with the addition of a homemade gift tag on a lollypop stick, but make sure you have spare pots for children who were away on the painting day to join in with the planting.

Need more ideas? Inspiration can come from books and websites, but also from a trip to a scrapstore or craft shop. If you have toddlers of your own, you can adopt or adapt the best ideas from their nurseries. The cheapest activities will recycle junk that friends or family are throwing out – you will probably end up with an eye for ‘creative’ junk and start your own collection!

Finally, click here to discover more ideas in the craft section on the Playtime website and find out how to make a cotton wool sheep or turn a cake into a bee with rice paper wings.

Fiona Burt

Last Updated 04 February 2011