Creative Playdates: Gettin' Crafty

Don't want to referee over a favorite toy during your playgroup? Keep those little hands busy with a kid-friendly craft. There are TONS of ideas out there - so do a little Internet searching to come up with something that will work for your group.

Craft #1: Paper Doll Friends

Here's a little craft that I did with our Joy School group. I used the outlines on About.com as a guide then traced my own pattern onto construction paper for the bodies, outfits, hats, and hair. Our lesson was on friendship, so they each picked a friend to use as the second doll holding their hand. The girls colored the shoes and hats, then picked which dresses and hair they wanted. They LOVED it! The site has plenty of outfits for little boys too.

Craft #2: Edible Play Dough

Who says you can't play with your food? Here's a homemade Play Dough recipe from allrecipes.com :

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 cups honey
4 cups dry milk powder

DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, cream together peanut butter and confectioners' sugar, then beat in honey and fold in milk powder. Divide into 15 equal portions and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Craft #3: Crayon Nibbles

Have broken crayons in your kids' art drawer and don't know what to do with them?

Here's a cute idea from craftydaisies.com:

What you’ll need:
*Crayons
*mini muffin pan (one that you don’t mind getting a little crayon on)
Preheat your oven to 265 degrees F. Peel off all the paper from the crayons and break them into 1/2″ to 1″ pieces. Arrange two to three like colors in each slot, then bake for 6-8 minutes. Let them congeal a little on the counter, then place them in the freezer until they are firm (approx. 30 minutes). They should then pop right out.
This is great for little hands that aren’t steady enough to hold thin crayons!