Author Topic: do your toddlers like craft/art?  (Read 5536 times)

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Offline amayzie

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do your toddlers like craft/art?
« on: February 07, 2013, 05:34:23 am »
Hamish has not been interested in finger painting, pasting, or even in drawing much! How old were your LOs when they got into arts and crafts?
Katy, Mummy to Hamish!


Offline cuckoochick

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2013, 05:45:58 am »
Charlotte loves crafts. She has been into drawing and stickers from about 14mos I'd say. We don't paint that regularly to be honest but she still loves it, sticking with glue spreaders etc. today for example she sat making pictures with stickers for over an hour with MIL but she is that type you know? Sits down, pays close attention and concentrates. She is also a perfectionist and things have to look just so or she gets really cross! I've no idea at all where she gets these traits from? ;) however, I am not particularly arty!! That is more DH!

She's not that big on gross motor skills activities, eg running/climbing or building things (wants me to do it to play imaginatively with the set!) but loves fine motor skills and imaginative play. Its like singing: we are always encouraging her to sing, she knows all the words to lots of nursery rhymes but she is reluctant to sing (this is probably due to the fsct that she cannot hold a tune at all, bless her!)

I'm sure as long as H has the opportunities for art activities then that is fine. My nephew is 4 and is still not into art/drawing and my SIL has been concerned because she worries he's shown no interest in writing either but his  verbal and reasoning skills are outstanding.

Does he like play dough/modelling?




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Offline <Catherine>

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2013, 06:24:09 am »
My DS didn't have a huge interest at that she either, unkess he had other kids doing it with him. It slowly increased and now he spends every waking minute drawing!! I'd say it was 2.5-3 before he became interested really, and only recent months where he's become obsessed!
Catherine x








Offline *jazzberry*

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2013, 06:39:35 am »
Nope ds1 never was at that age and still couldn't care less tbh! Ds2 totally loves it and already draws better than ds1. Dd doesn't show much interest (but then if I'm honest I haven't given her much opportunity either :-[, knowing her she would probably love it, must get onto that one! )

Offline <Catherine>

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2013, 06:52:00 am »
Ok, sorry about the typos in my reply - its early here!
Catherine x








Offline koe2moe

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2013, 07:10:05 am »
DS, never!!  He did it very often at daycare but he never really liked it. 



Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2013, 07:17:59 am »
Hamish has not been interested in finger painting, pasting, or even in drawing much! How old were your LOs when they got into arts and crafts?
^^ neither is Z..but I have recently found some things he loves that are good quiet creative activities for him.
He loves...
Playdoh...ESP cutting shapes, sorting, stacking them, mushing rolling balls asking worms etc. I usually play with him.
Crayola colourful Sidewalk chalk...omg it is GOLD. DH and Z will go out and play for hours. We currently have the alphabet, numbers, shapes, pictures etc all out there. He draws too and we use it for learning too.
Stickers. Colouring pens and a scrapbook. Stickers are usually bugs, bees, butterflies or diggers, trucks, cars, police cars etc.
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Offline amayzie

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2013, 09:50:16 am »
Awesome ideas!! He LOVES play dough.... will get some sidewalk chalk...
Katy, Mummy to Hamish!


Offline <Catherine>

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2013, 10:11:39 am »
Ollie also loved 'painting' with water outside - a paint brush and a pot of water kept him happy for ages painting on the fence, patio, etc. (....until he spills the pot of water, or insects/grass/sand gets in it....then it's meltdown time  ::) !).
Catherine x








Offline amayzie

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2013, 11:48:31 am »
yes- we've done the water thing at my mum's (she;s an ex infants teacher....) not overly interested... He might just come around to it later. I think that if he was a real busy rough and tumble physical kid then i'd not think it odd- but he can sit reading a book for AGES!
Katy, Mummy to Hamish!


Offline C&B&E

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2013, 13:49:44 pm »
B was never particularly interested, whereas E is *always* asking to "draw, draw" or "stick, stick"  :), so much of it just temperament I think.  But with B there were a few things that worked well (and I lowered my expectations - so if he played for 3 minutes then great!).  He's a bit more into things now and if I set something up will generally get involved - but if I ask him if he wants to do crafts then he usually says no  :P, and nursery have told me it's like getting blood out of a stone trying to get him to paint! *But* I think they will create in different ways and we just need to recognise that as being just as creative as the usual 'crafts' iyswim.  B spends hours every day making 3d 'cities' with blocks, bricks, playmobil, tiles etc - and they are such amazing structures that I realised I needed to start taking photos of them and keep them as this is his creative outlet rather than things on paper. 

But a few simple things he enjoyed were

- sticky back plastic (contact paper) attached onto an easel or a window with the sticky side facing out - give feathers, paper shapes or pieces of string and then stick them on. 
- blackboard, chalk and some wet paintbrushes or small sponges
- here are some great playdough ideas though you've probably seen this site if you're on pinterest  :) http://www.theimaginationtree.com/search/label/Play%20Dough One thing Ben like was sticking uncooked spaghetti sticks into playdough and then 'threading' cheerios or beads onto them
- use whatever he's interested in as your starting point - e.g. cars/animal figures - and then let them paint with those to make track marks etc
- I bought some little felt shapes (cars....there was a strong theme!) and he enjoyed sticking those down if I put blobs of glue onto a piece of card
- painting with his feet - huge piece of paper and he'd paint his feet and walk around!




Claire x



Offline michaeljacknnugg

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2013, 17:01:24 pm »
Lovely ideas!

DS also wasn't really into it until later on ... I think he was three nearly four.

He started off with cutting and folding and has moved on to drawing etc as his pen control has improved.

One thing I found really helpful was keeping a craft area set up all the time, like they have at nursery. On my phone so can't post a link, but we have a lovely craft organiser from great little trading co which helps keep it all in check!
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Offline *Becky*

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2013, 18:48:26 pm »
B was never particularly interested, whereas E is *always* asking to "draw, draw"
same here...
Henry has never been very into art or craft. He does like play doh but I tend to let him do the painting etc at pre school now as it lasts 3 seconds and is a HUGE mess for me to clear up.
I do need to be more pro-active for M though as she asks to draw all the time and I get the same crayons and colouring book out bless her.
In fact I will do some sticking with her tomorrow now I have seen this.

Would love to see the craft organiser




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Offline Buntybear

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2013, 19:23:41 pm »
Olly loves some aspects of craft but I can't get him to sit with crayons and a colouring book for love nor money.  ::)

He loved sticker books at around 2YO. Now he LOVES his scissors. Will just cut and cut and cut. ;D

Loves his Mister Maker kits but really isn't interested in making the finished article just mucking round with the bits and pieces.

I can keep him occupied with a few minutes of painting and gluing things but that is all.

We have just found a wheat free play dough and he is enjoying cutting shapes out with some old animal shape cookie cutters i foundin the cupboard.

I don't think that before 2YO they need to enjoy colouring or painting to be 'into' crafts.

I made up a box of just 'bits' that Olly could play with ie foam shapes, tissue paper cut into squares - or any coloured paper really - magazine if yu are on a budget or want to recycle!, pom pom balls (from craft shops) etc. A stack of card and a glue stick and you are away. You can talk, colours, shapes, textures etc.

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: do your toddlers like craft/art?
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2013, 20:27:43 pm »
Katy does H like quiet books given he loves normal books so much? Z loves his I made him, and it's not really what he's into YK?
It has pages like stick the felt shape onto the matching shape, stick the felt stars next to the numbers to count, pin the tail on the horse... Here's pics of what I mean
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=i+can+do+it+cloth+activity+book&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=AQ4UUd3fCtDmiwKIx4GAAw&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=768&bih=900

So not craft, but good quiet activity ;)
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