Toddler Crafts

I love to do Toddler Craft programs for 2-3 year olds.  Many of the people who attend really appreciate the program and I get a lot of "I didn't know that this is something that my child can do."  We register 25 kids for a Toddler Craft program, which allows me to circulate and assist all of the kids if need be.  To fit with the 2012 summer reading program theme Dream Big Read!, both of our crafts were star-themed.

Set-Up
If at all possible, have everything that they will need at each child's place.  It allows the parent to focus on working with the child, rather than searching the tables for more supplies.  We share our program area with our public meeting room, so depending on the previous day's set-up, I will either use the meeting room tables or do the crafts on the floor.  Either way, I will cover the area with butcher paper.  (As long as the paper isn't covered in anything wet or sticky, we roll it up when we are done and reuse it.)  All of the parts for our crafts are put in foam cups (also reusable!) so we can sort the parts ahead of time.

Today's set-up

Craft 1-Decorate a star wand
Every child received 1 star wand that was already put together.  To make the star wands, we cut star shapes with our AccuCut Star #2 die out of fun foam.  Using a glue dot, we attached 1 star shape to a craft stick.  Each child had a strip of star stickers and 4 foam star stickers in their cup that they could stick to their wand.

Star Wand

Craft 2-Star necklace
Every child received a string of yarn with tipped ends and 17 star-shaped beads in their foam cup.  The thing to watch with a beading project is that you don't give the kids too many beads.  Beading is work for this age group and you want them to be able to finish on their own.

Note-You have to know your group if you want to do beading with this age group, because beads can be choking hazards.

Star Necklace

Final Thoughts
The kids loved these crafts and all of them finished.  It was also easy to insert little educational ideas into conversation, such as "Wow, you are doing such a good job beading.  This is exercise for your hands so you will be able to write when you go to school."  While we all recognize it as fine-motor coordination, it helps if you explain what that actually is or why it is a good thing and how it relates to libraries.  For example, "Writing and reading go hand-in-hand."