How old were your LO's when you started to do craft/painting etc with them?

[LittleMonkeysMum]

DD is nearly 13 months and we did 'painting' the other day. Think I enjoyed it more than she did, and we only managed to stick at it for about 10 mins. Just wondering.

about 1. But kept it short and sweet.

Short and sweet sounds about right!

I had a real bad case of the grumps the other weekend and instad of screaming at DS I got the paint out and we did "splats" = handprints. We had so much fun, I was laughing so much in the end!

dd: before she was 1. ds: not until after he was 4.

8

I hate crafts!!

Both ds's before they were 1

thankfully dh has done this from a much earlier age!!

Try and do this when out at toddlers (twice a week) tbh as DD is lovely but V messy! Just recently started doing play dough in the house with her (and colouring with crayons) sometimes - up until now she just tried to eat the play dough (shes 18 mo btw)

I tried to keep to easy things like finger paints (in garden and bathroom by back door), colouring pens (he just ate the crayons) and cutting out shapes (like animals, fish) and then letting him decorate them with stickers (cheap in wilkinsons).

i.e. not too messy

let them do it at toddler group!!!
Mine do it whenever they fancy, but ds aged 2 just likes to squeeze glue everywhere!!!

1. Looking back, stressful.

Afraid I left the really messy stuff for nursery to do! We have playdough and colouring at home, but not glue and paint.

18m with painting but drawing and colouring was 12m

Crayons, felt tips about 13 months. My Dd is now 18 months, loves finger painting, felt tips and sticking on a page. Its important to be well prepared for the mes, lots of plastic sheeting etc. Even with young toddlers you can set boundaries, their attention span is limited so it doesnt take long. Its really important to play with the art materials and to make art together.If you are well prepared beforehand it makes it much more enjoyable cause then you can relax and enjoy the playing.

playing with paint- about 6 months. I'm lucky- my boys 1st choice for investigating anthing is try to pick it up, if that fails hit it, continue to hit it, then smear it around if if not responing to being hit. Only after allthat has failed to amuse him will he try to eat it.
So I strip him , sit him on large peice of paper on plastic sheet, drop some dollops of paint on it and let him investigate. He ends up coverd in paint up to the elbows, but hasn;t yet eated any. Very funny watching him try to pick up a dollop pof poster paint. he rather likes teh bath that follows too.

Found a 'Messy Monsters' group, think it's a
francise & they have groups all over the country.
Took dd there when she was 1. She loved it & so did I, she could create all the mess she wanted & I didn't moan once

Now we do painting, clay moulding & messy play at home, always in the kitchen though on the lino! She's at an age where she understands that she can't amok with bright red hands.