When did you start art activities with your toddler?

[Tweakster]

I want to start getting more into art activities because winter is coming and we need to come up with creative ways to keep this toddler busy in the winter    Finn is 18 mths and has a short attention span but maybe this would help...

We started colouring a while back but really, he's very hit and miss with what he wants to do with the crayons.  He wants to eat them, run around with them, throw them, anything but colour 
I bought markers instead but same deal really.

Last night I got him interested in stickers, we have an old neighbour who works for a sticker printer and so we can get tons of free stickers.  So far I had him sticking them on pages and also decorating his booster chair lol  It requires really fine motor skills so he was quite enjoying it.

Other tips, hints, tricks for artistic endeavours??

[mokey_cat]

Hi Wendy

I started introducing paints to DD a few months ago and she loves it.  It is so messy though and she does tend to paint herself in the process but it can keep her amused for maybe 15 mins or so.  I think as they get older it will be longer though.  I basically just plonked DD in her high chair, filled some cup cake cases with non-toxic poster paints, gave her a brush and paper and let her get messy - she loved it 

I have also got glitter, stickers, coloured paper and we sit and 'make' cards for daddy, granny etc.  I usually end up doing most of it but she will sit for a good 30 mins doing this.  She has crayons too but I find she gets really bored with them quickly.

Would love to hear other craft ideas though as the winter is coming and am struggling for indoor activities!!

X

[~Sarah~]

Following, we are in the same spot!  Bc I did not want colors to become something I dread, if he wants to paly with them, it has to be in the highchair.  He still eats them, and still throws them on the ground, but he will color for a bit

I jsut bought some paints, but have not been brave enough for that though.  Thank heavens for tile on my kitchen floor!!

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

We do water colour painting, finger painting, colouring, stickers, chalk, beads on a string with really big beads (Ethan LOVES this), play dough is a good one too. We use toddler scissors with play dough to practice cutting also. I have a play dough recipe if you are interested so that if he ends up putting some in his mouth, yu don't have to be worried about bad ingredients.

[Tweakster]

Yes Jenn that would be fantastic!  I wondered about play dough and plasticine, wasn't sure if he was too young.

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Playdough:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup hot water (just tap water, not boiling)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Heat on medium heat until ingredients form a ball. Dump out of pot and knead. Keep in an air tight container.
This will make whitish playdough. We add food colouring to make it a colour.

Also something fun for when they are a bit older is magic playdough where you push your finger into the middle and put the food colouring in there and close the hole. So it looks like the playdough is just white but then when the kids start playing with it, it changes colour!

[*Becky*]

we do play doh, painting, colouring, cutting and sticking. He does like it but tbh it lasts for about 10 mins max each activity before he either gets bored or puts something in his mouth.
Going to get some stickers this weekend and try that x

[~Emma~]

 Brodie is still not into it one bit. He does at nursery but I think thats because all the other kids are doing it too. I bought poster paints and brushes just last week after seeing his efforts at nursery, he would join in for about 10 mins but thats about it....too many other things to climb and jump off! 

 I might give the playdoh a shot though....

[teilvnav]

We gave Nathan playdough today, and he tried to eat it over and over. But if Finn isn't as oral, it should be fine! And hey, it is non-toxic, right?

Michael's (the craft store) has these foam shapes with sticker stuff on the back. Nathan loves playing with those, although they stick to his hands/clothes/face as often as the paper. And you can get ones that require glue instead. Crayola also makes a line of colouring supplies for toddlers 18 months +; I think that they are called "Scribblers". They are little paint brushes that fit in the palm of a child's hand, and the paint is inside so there is no dripping. Well, that is the idea anway. Nathan did try to suck on them, but he also anjoyed painting with them. Scott has lots of "art" around his desk at work already!

There is also things like chocolate pudding as finger paints, that is messy but really fun.

[We Three]

DD loved stickers at that age...stamps too.   As for paint, there are books (like coloring books) that you just paint with water, the color is on these tiny dots that make up the picture.  You get a dish of water and a paintbrush...no mess!   We loved paly dough as well...some cookie cutters, some platic utensils (forks, spoons, and some play dishes), and we'd go to town! 

[mini me]

Re. short attention spans, I really find LOs sit for much longer and really get some quality time from the crafts (be that painting, drawing, sticking, plastercine etc) if they do this activity in their highchairs. Much less temptation to just run off, and really focuses them (I'm talking say 15 mins max for under 2s).
It's also easier for mum to clean up after too, and makes the highchair a really positive place (if it was ever a struggle for you). Just my opinion, but other mum's have found this helped.

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

Great thread, Wendy.  Definitely will be following.

Here are 10 edible play-doh recipes.  http://www.familycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/edible_play_dough.shtml Since Austin played with Play Doh for the first time at a friend's house this morning and promptly tried to eat it, I'll be trying some of these!!

Oh, and a friend told me to try finger painting with pudding - edible and easy to clean!

[anna*]

Stamps are GREAT! tbh I had little patience for art activities until about 2 years old. Before that, it was like 10 mins set up, 15 mins clear up, for 5 mins activity for Stan.

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Definitely activities last longer if ds is in his high chair. Also we do have the benefit of these others kids in the day home here because he likes to do what they are doing.

[Tweakster]

How ironic that I should open his daycare bag when we got home and he had created two pictures with sparkles lol 

Finn isn't a real high chair fan but we can try.  We are also buying a little used art table & chair off Craigslist (I think, at last check DH was looking into it) for $20 so he might like to sit at it and colour or something.