Categories: Parenting

Crafts for the One-Year-Old

If you think your one-year-old is too young too enjoy any type of crafts activity, think again. There are certain crafts that you can introduce to the one-year old that will delight his or her senses.

As with any activity, including crafts, you do with your one-year-old, safety is the number one key to an enjoyable experience. Many one-year-olds still have a tendency to put everything in their mouth. There are two ways to distract baby from putting craft supplies in his or her mouth. One is to engage them so intensely in the craft project that they are not even thinking about putting things in their mouth. Or simply give them your your one-year-old a pacifier.

Where to Do Arts and Crafts With Your One-Year-Old

The best place to engage in arts and crafts with a child who is one-year-old or older is away from the television. Next, find a suitable place for your little one to sit comfortably. A small table and chair that is just the right height for the one-year old is ideal. Choose seats which have side railings and tuck the chair close to the table. If you do not have a small table and chair, sit your your one-year-old in a high chair or in a seat that attaches to the table.

Basic Arts and Crafts for the One-Year-Old

1. Coloring with Crayons for the One-Year-Old
Supplies: Jumbo Crayons, any type of paper

Before sitting the your one-year-old down for arts and crafts time, tape the edges of the paper to the flat surface of the table or high chair tray where he or she will be coloring. Sit your your one-year-old down and bring out a couple of crayons. Use a crayon to dab the paper making dots, to show your one-year-old what crayons can do.

Your one-year-old may simply be interested in the bright colors of the crayons, or in holding the crayons. Encourage his or her hand to make dots on the paper. You can even say the word, “dot” each time the crayon makes a mark. Help your one-year-old make dots with each hand, if they do not seem to be favoring one or the other yet.

2. Exploring Textures with the One-Year-Old
Supplies: super sticky paper used in scrapbooking, a small bag of feathers or pompoms, shapes cut out of shiny papers or construction paper

Again, tape the sticky paper down to a flat surface. The super sticky paper will hold anything your one-year-old sticks to it. Supply a feather or two and a pom pom and show your your one-year-old baby how to stick it to the paper. Your one-year old may be more interested in how the feather tickles his hand than putting it on the paper, and that’s okay.

Limit the amount of time spent on each project. The typical one-year-old is usually on-the-go and may only spend a couple of minutes checking out crayons and pom poms. The idea is simply to introduce the one-year-old to exploring arts and crafts, and with continued exposure, your one-year-old will begin to look forward to arts and crafts time.