Holiday Crafts Activities To Keep Little Hands Busy

Activity 1: Bee For Bookmark

Materials Needed:

1 yellow pompom (medium-sized) 1 black pipecleaner 1 piece of white foam sheet or felt

(wings) 1 piece of red felt or construction

paper (mouth) 1 pair of plastic eyes 1 craft stick (tongue depressor) Glue (craft glue) Paint

Steps

1. Coil the black pipecleaner around the yellow pompom twice, creating the striped body of a bee.

2. Twist the two ends of the pipecleaner to secure it, then cut off the excess.

3. Cut two wings (teardrop shape) from the white foam sheet (or felt).

4. Cut a mouth (crescent shape) from the red felt or construction paper.

5. Apply 1 or 2 coats of white paint onto the craft stick (tongue depressor) before painting it green with white flowers (or any other designs you prefer).

6. Glue the wings, plastic eyes and mouth onto the bee’s body while waiting for the craft stick to dry completely.

7. Finally, glue the bee onto one end of the painted craft stick.

Alternatives

1. Do not cut off the excess pipecleaner (Step 2), instead, coil the excess and sit it at the tip of a pencil.

Tips1. When you use craft glue or white PVC glue (non-toxic), you have to press and hold the pompom down

onto the craft stick longer.2. Paint a coat of PVC glue over the painted craft stick so that the paint will not run and it looks great.3. Ask for the tongue depressors used on yourself or your children whenever you see your family doctor

(they are thrown away anyway) if you do not wish to buy a packet.

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Activity 2: Beautiful Butterfly

Materials Needed

• 1 brown pipecleaner• 2 sheets of self adhesive paper (approx. 20cm

x 20cm)• 2 plastic eyes• some glitter dust (any colour)• some scotch tape• Glue• assorted paper scraps (tissue paper,

construction paper, or any bits of paper etc)

Steps

1. Measure and cut out two pieces of self adhesive paper (approx. 20cm x 20cm).

2. Peel the protective sheet off from one piece and tape the corners down with some scotch tape (with sticky side facing up).

3. Let your child stick the paper scraps on the self adhesive paper and sprinkle glitter dust over any spare areas.

4. Take the other piece of self adhesive paper, peel off the protective sheet and paste it over the finished product.

5. Bend the pipecleaner in the middle into half so that it becomes a narrow ‘U’.

6. Next, gather the 2 pieces of self adhesive paper (already stuck together) in the middle with your fingers and sit it in the ‘valley’ of the pipe cleaner.

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7. Then twist the pipe cleaner to secure the self adhesive paper in position and fold the tips of each end.

8. Cross and bend the two ends to create more contact space for the plastic eyes.

Tips• Overlap the tissue paper scraps slightly to see how new colours are formed.• Put the glitter dust in salt or pepper shakers so that your little ones cannot pour the entire

bottle of glitter dust over.

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Activity 3: Hand Painting – Goldfish in a bowl

Materials Needed

• finger paint or any non-toxic paint • brushes and palette • 1 black (or any colour) construction paper• drawing paper

1. Paint one thumb blue and make prints to create the water in the fish bowl (try to print it in neat rows).

Steps

2. Once it is dry, paint the one thumb orange and make a print for the body of the goldfish in the fish bowl.

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3. Then paint the tip of one pointer orange and make two prints at one end of the body for the tail.

4. Keep making goldfish until you feel you have enough or you run out of space.

5. Paint the side of your little finger green and make a couple of prints for seaweeds.

6. Finally paint your pointer with assorted colours and make prints for pebbles and sand.

7. Cut the goldfish bowl out and paste it onto a black construction paper.

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Activity 4: Hand Painting – a Leaping frog in a pond

Steps

1. Paint one hand green (leaving out the thumb) and make a print of the leaping frog (upside down).

2. Paint one palm green and make prints of lily pads.

3. Paint one thumb or pointer red and make several prints to form the petals of a lily flower.

4. When everything is dry, draw eyes and a mouth on the leaping frog and outline the lily pads

5. Cut out the leaping frog, lily pads and lilies and paste onto the blue construction paper.

6. To complete the picture, you may also add a layer of blue corrugated paper to form the water in the pond and apply white paint with a sponge on the sky to create clouds.

Tips1. Draw outline for younger children so that they can print within a designated area.2. Let children practise on rough paper before starting.3. If you do not feel comfortable using paint, you can use ink stamp pad instead.4. You can let your child try painting their fingers on their own.5. Allow variations and creativity.

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