Crafting With My Tween

I made this cute mother’s day craft with my tween daughter. One of my favourite ways to bond with my daughter is to do crafts with her. She has been creative since she was little. I don’t usually take pictures. We just enjoy the moment. But now that I have a blog, I thought it is a good idea to share some of the crafts we do together. With Mother’s day coming up, it only made sense to make a Mother’s day craft.

We usually don’t plan our crafts. We just take a look at the materials we have and think of something we can do with them. I got this cardboard from a pack of curtains we bought the other day. we had some tissue paper and glitter sheets. Since my blog is mostly for Pre. K and kindergarten children, we wanted to make this craft for them as well. We brainstormed a bunch cool of ideas. Today I will share the first one.

You will need…

• Free-Printable-Templates
• Cardboard
• Coloured Paper
• Tissue Paper
• Glue
• Gems
• Marker

Consider all these materials as “optional”. Because when it comes to craft, there is no rule. Just get inspired and make your own version of it with the materials you already have. For example, if don’t have coloured paper you can always paint it. You can replace gems with basically anything pretty. Sprinkles, glitter, sequins, paint pompoms…etc. My daughter wrote these bubble letters. If you don’t want to write it yourself, you can download the Free Printable Templates from below and print them straight onto a coloured paper. If you want your children to colour them, then print them on white paper. That way the colours will stand out more.

Free Printable Templates

I only had white tissue paper. So I chose a contrasting background to make them stand out. We have beads of many colours. Obviously, because my daughter still loves collecting beads. If you are working with young children please be cautious of choking hazards. When I choose my craft materials for my school children I always make sure they are safe. If you can’t find big enough beads, replace them with glittery pompoms. They are safe and pretty as well.

Try this Digital Mother’s Day Hidden Picture Surprise Gift for Mom.

Read CVC Words and Click on the matching pictures to reveal the cute Mother’s day message!

Click to Play preview for Free!

Once you have the printout ready, make sure you colour that before you paste it on the cardboard. (We forgot to do that, and it was a lot harder to colour without ripping the paper)

Now it’s time to decorate. Use the bead, sequins tissue paper balls or whatever you chose to decorate.

Fine Motor Skills

If you have been to my site before, you should know how I love fine motor skills activities. As a pre. K teacher, I always make sure that craft is not just craft, but has many other indirect benefits too. One of the most important skills for preschool/Kindergarten children is Fine Motor Skills. Children need fine motor skills for colouring, writing and many other day-to-day activities. Read more about fine-motor skills and activity ideas here “20 Fine Motor Skills Activities for Writing Readiness”

How does this craft help develop your child’s fine motor skills?

• Making tissue paper balls involves using the three fingers (thumb, index and middle). We use these fingers for writing. This activity is like an exercise to make those fingers strong and get them ready for writing. You can even have it as a shelf activity. Cut small squares or strips of tissue paper, keep them on a tray along with a small bawl. The children can make balls and collect them into the bowl. They can even take their work home in a small envelope.
• Picking up gems/beads is also another fun way to develop fine motor skills. This is another great shelf idea. Beads transfer activities are a must-have on my Practical life shelf. Alternatives for beads can be beans or buttons. Have two bowls on a tray with a spoon, a tweezer or a safe tong. The child can transfer the beads or beans from one bowl to the other using fingers, spoon. tweezer or the tong.
• Colouring and gluing also help develop fine motor skills.