What crafts can 18 month olds do?

[yellowflowers]

We do crayons on paper and sticking things on paper to make collages. But what else can 18 month olds do?

I remember with horror doing 'body painting' with mine at PEEP group. He might have been a bit younger though. Basically putting paint on huge bits of paper, stripping small person to their happy and letting them toddle about in the paint. Just make sure you have an apron on before they go in the paint in case they don't like it and jump into your arms covered in paint.

messy play is my idea of hell....but i have to go along with it my 16mo loves getting squishy with poster paints, i have been letting him do it in the garden where i can just hose down the slabs and him afterwards. Gardening is another good one, which, when it comes down to it, is basically eating mud and snails.

Make your own play dough.

Haha - no way re body painting. But playdough - of course. I am going to make some later.

Mine liked felt tips especially at that age as they got more satisfying amount of colour onto the paper. Crayola only in our house-they really are washable and when they were bigger I swapped to crayons as I like the effect more.

Oh-and if you have a patio (works on walls too) a paintbrush and a pot of water on a sunny day is the ultimate clean messy play.

If the weather gets sunnier, big if! I am planning on taping a roll of plain wallpaper to the outside wall of the house and letting my 18mth go nuts with paint and glue etc. I'm also pondering getting a sandpit.

But I'm very thankful in the meantime that DD does all her messy play at nursery and I just get the end result for the fridge (abstract art!) or a very messy happy child at the end of the day (for the bath!)

Buy an easel with a roll of paper and buy zillions of little stickers. DCs just love sticking stickers on paper and the act of peeling and sticking on an easel is fantastic for their fine motor skills.

That's a great idea bonsoir.

Hours of peace guaranteed!

For less messy days when you just can't be bothered clearing up when you have visitors round you can't beat aquadraw.

Baking or just decorating cup cakes / biscuits is good fun. Also adding topping to a pizza base, not really arts and crafts but good all the same.

We did potato prints yesterday, I did cheat and used playdough cutters to make the imprint and cut away the excess.

I do go to a messy play group every now and then at our local childrens centre. To save me the mess.

DD loved the cornflour mixed with water to make a gloop. She loves playing with her spoons and bowls with it. It dries in second on the hand and brushes off. I love it too.

Coloured rice was amazing fun, again with jugs, teapots and collanders. She spent ages playing with this.

Homemade playdough with glitter is fun, plan on trying it with a glow stick in the autumn as that looks way too much fun. She has a plastic knife and just chops it up lovely.

rainbow rice is also good in a washing up bowl and bury things in it, like toy farm animals and other similar sized objects, she loves digging.

finger painting, big brush painting, decorating biscuits, gluing with pritt stick, glitter pasta necklaces, play dough (bake it as well as play with it) model making (big boxes make great cars/castles/planes)

She loved the playdough. Not heard of rainbow rice. Will give that a go next.

Actually I just saw on a website the idea of lots of dried beans in a container hiding things.

Obviously I'll supervise but don't you think rice and beans are choking risk for toddlers? My dd is 18 months.

Once you've made rainbow rice can it keep? Presumably if we manage not to spill it all over the floor it'll last months?

Fabulous suggestions. DS is only 15 mo and tries to eat crayons so we don't do craft yet. I am going to note these ideas though so that we can start trying things in a couple of months.

Rainbow rice can store in an airtight container, DD tried a chomp but spat it out, the vinegar makes it taste vile.

Hoover with a pop sock to collect up the rice at the end of play.

Watching this thread with interest.

I am forever recommending this blog on here The Imagination Tree

It is full of activities for pre-schoolers and also Red Ted Art

(both are mumsnetters)

Will check it out. Already love red ted art.

Shaving foam is great as well for sensory play...

Am off to look at Red Ted!

Am in the middle of making rainbow rice. It stinks of vinegar though so is now in the oven hopefully burning off. Hope dd likes it - has been a lot more effort than playdough!

I think I'm going to have to google rainbow rice....sounds fun even if stinky!

Filo

I introduced this to some of my friends DCs at this age and they loved it! It's a dough but not so messy as clay. It comes in bright colours and you can make models, jewellery and little toys with it, then you put it in the oven and it sets. With my friend's DCs (a couple of years ago I looked after them all the time as she wasn't well) we made balls and goal posts, a boat and a model village. Another DC that I spent lots of time with was very into dolls and those small plastic animals you can get at ELC so we made those or things for them - they absolutely loved it and still play with them now.

We also went for walks and collected things alng the way, then made a collage picture with it. If you don't have time to walk finding things in the garden (just outside the front door if you don't have one) is the same. Ooh and cooking. Fairy cakes are good, or just helping with the main meal. It's so cheap and they usually feel so important if they have something to do. My Baylee loved/still loves mashing potatoes (though I start them off and finish them because of course her co-ordination and strength is a little off) and adding (pre-measured) bowls of things to the sauce pan.