To make it as easy as possible, I have tried to limit the
crafts I’m listing here to ones that can be done with only a handful of
supplies. Some of the examples I’m listing do use other items, like glitter or
googly eyes, but for the most part they can be done with only the following
craft supplies:
- Paper plates
- Cotton balls
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
1. Cotton Ball Pictures
This is a fun tactile activity
that you can do with some construction paper, glue, and cotton balls. Either
draw or cut out a shape and let your child have fun gluing cotton balls to fill
in any white spaces. There are tons of possibilities, but for winter time,
check out these cotton ball snowmen
and penguins.
2. Foam Cup Snowmen
For this simple craft, just grab a
disposable cup and turn it into a snowman with
some construction paper decorations. If you didn’t bring your own cups, there’s
a good chance you can find one in the hospital.
And if you can wrangle up six
disposable cups and your child is feeling up to a little competition, consider
a friendly game of Snowman
Slam. Just arrange the decorated cups into a pyramid and take turns trying
to knock them down using a rolled-up pair of socks.
3. Paper Heart Penguin
This adorable paper
heart penguin requires only glue, scissors, and construction paper. The tutorial
suggests using googly eyes, but if you don’t have those in your hospital craft
kit, you could easily cut out paper eyes or just draw them on.
4. Paper Snowflakes
If your child is old enough to use
scissors on their own, paper
snowflakes are probably one of the easiest winter crafts you can do.
5. Paper Plate Crafts
With a paper plate, a pair of
scissors, and something to color with, the possibilities are endless! Here are
some cute winter themed choices: polar bear
(uses cotton balls), penguin,
snowflake,
and snowman.
These paper
plate superhero masks aren’t winter-themed, but as a mama with two little
boys who are crazy about anything superhero-related, I couldn’t resist adding
it in. There are lots of other paper plate mask
ideas out there, as well, so you are sure to find one that your child would
enjoy.
6. Paper Plate Winter Hat
Here’s one more paper plate idea.
You might not be able to actually wear this paper plate
hat, but it looks like a lot of fun to make! Just cut a paper plate in
half, glue on some cotton balls and decorate it as you please.
7. Ripped Construction Paper Art
You can create some fun pictures
with ripped paper and glue, including this cute snowy
owl. Even if your child is too young to assemble the pieces into a more
complicated shape, they will likely still enjoy just gluing it all together to
create their own unique artwork.
8. Paper Plate Valentine Holder
With Valentine’s
Day coming up, I thought it might be fun to include a few holiday themed ideas to
round off this list. Here’s one for a cute paper plate
Valentine holder. The tutorial uses staples to hold the paper plates
together, but you use tape or glue as well. Once you’ve got a heart shaped
holder, let your child decorate it with crayons, construction paper shapes, or
whatever else you have handy!
9. Heart Wreaths
This paper
plate heart wreath would be an easy and fun way to make the hospital seem a
little more festive. It would also make a fun Valentine’s gift for someone
special.
10. Valentine’s Day Card
Your child might
also enjoy making some Valentine’s cards for friends, family members, or even
the nurses and doctors there at the hospital. These ASL I-Love-You and I love you to
pieces cards can both be done with nothing but construction paper, glue,
and a pencil.
This post was written by FPIES Foundation volunteer Aubrey Fredrickson. Aubrey is a freelance writer and mother of two. Although not personally touched by FPIES, she is grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the families and volunteers of the FPIES Foundation.
