If you are looking for a fun and easy kids craft that will work for toddlers up through preteens, you may want to consider those that involve painting wooden shapes. You can buy wooden shapes at relatively cheap prices at many craft stores, and they are easy to incorporate in a kids' craft. All you need to do is to just choose the right materials, decide on a purpose for the craft and add decorations.
Choosing Materials
Make sure to choose materials that will fit the craft and the kid who is making it. Especially if the kids making the craft are younger, you will want to choose a safe, non-toxic paint for them to use, especially those that are labeled "all natural." Ask the children for input on the color of the paint, as well as the methods of applying it. In addition, make sure that you choose wooden shapes of objects that your kids enjoy. For example, one child might want to paint hearts and stars, whereas another may prefer airplanes and cars.
Selecting a Technique
The type of technique that your child uses to paint the wooden shapes is really up to her. Many children enjoy using small paintbrushes, but others may prefer sponges or large paintbrushes. These larger alternatives may be especially helpful for toddlers and preschoolers who do not yet have the fine motor skills to create detailed crafts. You can also help kids splatter-paint their wooden shapes. Just make sure that you do so outdoors, with plenty of protection over clothes or anything else that might get ruined by paint.
Deciding on a Purpose
For toddlers and some preschoolers, just creating a painted shape may be enough of an art activity. For kids in grade school and older, you will probably want to come up with a purpose for the project. For example, younger grade-schoolers may enjoy sticking a magnet or a pin to the backs of their painted wooden shapes and hanging them on the fridge or pinning them to their shirts. Older kids may enjoy painting several shapes and gluing them to a picture frame or to the border of a mirror. More creative ideas include making the shapes into board game pieces, hanging them from dangling earring posts or linking them together to make a friendship bracelet. Encourage older children to brainstorm their own ideas of use the painted wooden shapes in their crafts.
Adding Decorations
Although the youngest kids may be happy with simply painting the shapes, most kids will enjoy adding other decorations the most. First of all, you can use permanent marker in a color that contrasts with the paint to add more detailed decorations or wording to the craft. In addition, you can glue on beads, ribbons or sequins to make the craft even more unique. Depending on the purpose of the craft, search through your art supplies or a local art store with your child for ideas of decorations you can use to make her creation even more unique.
