help getting creative with toddler!

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I wasn't sure whether to post in this section or in arts/crafts section so done both! I am not naturally a very creative person but would like to become more creative and also to encourage my daughter (age 2 and a half. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and not good with mess really so its all a bit traumatic to think about getting paint out - need to bite bullet but looking for inspiration and tips on what will keep dd amused for longest - I imagine the amount of time preparing for the activity and clearing up will be in inverse proportion to the time she sticks at the thing itself!

Playdoe is great and you can make it yourself and use biscuit cutters with it so you don't have to spend a penny.

If you do painting just put lots of paper down or a dust sheet to lessen the mess.

Another good one is sticking. Cut lots of shapes out, little pot of glue and some paper. Keeps them amused for hours.

yeah i agree with sticking you can get loads of crafty things such as feathers, sequins, googley eyes, pom poms etc and also school glue which is in a small pot and has applicater attached so minimum mess (they sell all these cheap on ebay)! Put some on a tray give her some card/paper and away you go it keeps my dd busy for ages.

You can get cheap packets of craft stuff in The Works bookshops and similar or ELC have 20% off theirs atm. Fuzzy Felt and sticker books/sets might make a less messy alternative. also yto keep it really cheap cut magazine and advertisement pictures into rough squares, draw a simple outline (like of a fish or flower) or find something on the net, and let her stick the shapes within the outline, mosaic style. You can always add eyes, leaves etc as a final touch.

Sticking may be a good place to start - she has done some at playgroup and seems to enjoy it - I just have visions of her getting glue all over her hands and then wandering off - glue then going all over furniture and all sorts.....same with paint - did try it with her quite a while ago - some dropped on newspaper, she trod in it, and before I knew it it was everywhere! Didn't realise how much they moved and touched things til paint was involved! I sound really houseproud but I'm not (husband is a bit) - I really am more bothered about her getting into her creative side than messy house - but its a leap of faith for a naturally tidy person!

I haven't yet dived into Ebay though dying to do so when I get time to work it out - got Stationery Box etc in town - would it be actually called "school glue"? Sounds good stuff to start off with.....

Sound anully retentive now but wondering whether its restrictive to give dd one colour paint at a time - frustrating if she mixes them all up together in the containers - no distinct colours for her to see anymore and spoiled it for herself? Or is this not the point of the exercise? Maybe at this age its just about touchy feely experimenting and using new things like brushes etc. Have same issue re different colour playdough - once its mixed up it can't be undone and seems "thats the end of that game then" once its all one big messy lump after 5 mins!

Gosh - I DO sound retentive....

Just read your message LIZS - we have done some sticker books and that was quite successful - thank you for your tips - really like the magazine cutouts/outline shapes idea - this is the sort of thing I just can't pull out of my own head - too long training and working in a very dry profession hasn't helped no doubt!.......

there is some called school glue on ebay but anywhere else just look for washable PVA elc sell this and also sell glue spredders too.

I bought DS (19 mo) a sponge painting kit from ELC which si great, less messy (slightly) than brushes and he loves it. I also used an old T-shirt of mine to put on him to try and limit the mess, easier than an apron. Put big sheet of plastic under the table for mess, but worth remembering it is all washable!

Although i have not used it, friends have raved about Aquadraw, basically painting with water on a special sheet that changes colour with the water - no mess and can be used over and over again

Cooking is good - making biscuits, esaiest if you make the dough in advancea nd then just roll it out and cut the shapes out together.

i have a wooden tray which i slide out from under the sofa...has all that crafty bits and bobs on it (crap as dh calls it) plus half an old Argos catalogue which dd tears picks from, tissue paper, pom poms, stars etc etc...and a tube of pritt. House is sort of covered with a fine mist of glitter most of the time...but it keeps her happy and she usually does this herself now.
For more structured stuff (and if you are finding it hard to start)...i can recommend:

stickybobs.co.uk. (sorry can't do links)

who do fab craft activity packs ...with everything you need included...plus apron...and about 6 projects.
Dd is 3 and is such an art and crafty queen that she now copies craft projects off the tv...or finds them in books and tells me what she needs!
(haha on second thought ...maybe it would be better not to get started on it !

Have fun !

Sorry.... it's

Stickybobs.com

Totally know where you're coming from re mess. What I do with painting is use a different pot for each paint colour, each with its own paint brush, and dd has never thought about mixing and matching colours. Magic Maize is good for making pictures - just uses water, no glue, although colour dye can run so wear overalls. Or just colouring in with crayons is good fun for them.

Re Painting you can buy self contained brushes and paint, it's like a tube of paint with a brush on the bottom, not as much mess.

Some things that we have found helpful - 1) a large sheet of oilcloth to put on table or floor which can be wiped clean
2) children's aprons 3) paint pots with lids - these have special lids that have a hold in the middle so the brush goes in and out but paint doesn't get spilled if container is tipped.
I find that with the messy thing like painting it is best to limit their colours - we usually have two or three on the table, which can then be swapped for another colour if they want. Otherwise, as you say, it can end up a gooey mess. We also have it be quite structured, girls with aprons on, sitting on chairs at table, paint and everything ready. When they start to loose interest, we stop because it just gets too stressful otherwise.
Oh yeah, doing beads on string to make own necklaces is good too. We have a box of plastic beads that get threaded and made into necklaces and bracelets and then undone and threaded again, etc.

Thank you to everyone for all the really helpful ideas - feeling very inspired now and as its the weekend I may get a chance to go to the shops and sort out a "crafty" plan for next week!

Couple of other ideas :
Ikea do rolls of paper cheap (also Galt and probably wall lining paper would do too) so there is more space for them to daub on - best outside I think !
Chunky playground chalks, again good for outside on patios and walls and you can wash off afterwards.
Buy a packet of brightly coloured straws and cut into short lengths - use to thread onto string or elastic.
Rubbing with wax crayons over different textures which you can have fun collecting outside- dried leaves, bark, cones, shells - or make collages.

I know what you mean about the mess. To manage it I do the following:

She has a special painting outfit that she wears, then comes straight off and goes in the wash!

Buy a big messy mat from ELC to put on floor - it's plastic so nothing goes through and it washes off easily.

Keep a big pack of wipes next to you, so then at the end it is dead easy to get all the paint off and then the mess doesn't spread around the house!

HTH

run a bath and plonk them in it straight after

Haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating:

My dd is 2.6 and we started messy arts / crafts with her at home since her 2nd Birthday - she does a lot of it at nursery too.

What we normally do is either painting, sticking or doing something with glitter.

If you're vary of bringing yourself to get messy, try and do it when it's someone's birthday so you can make a card / gift together. This way you kind of feel you haven't got much choice and have to do it

Get a plastic cloth to cover the surface you will be using, get an apron for your dd. I quite often get some stuff ready for her in the evening - cut out a lot of different shapes, print out different pics of the net - CBeebies have great ones of characters - instead of just coloring them in, we stick on them, paint them, put some string as their hair etc. They get a little inpatient if you try and do that whilst they just want to get on with it.

Afterwards get her involved in cleaning up - we get our dd to stand at bathroom sink and wash all sponges, brushes etc. (whils we get rid off everything else).

If you want to get some great ideas - try watching Smarteenies on CBeebies, they do a lot of easy crafty stuff.