Being creative has been proven to boost your mood, and help little ones develop vital skills such as creativity, hand-eye coordination, cognitive learning and self expression.
Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with new, fun ideas by yourself all of the time, but with the help from one of our favourite creative Insta-mums, Jessica (@mummy_and_mason), we've put together some simple yet effective ideas that you can do with your toddler at home!
Sponge Stamps
Painting with a brush can be a little difficult for any toddler that's just getting to grips with being in control of their hands. Instead, why not try stamps so that they can simply dab into a puddle of paint and create something much more meaningful than a squiggle!
You don't need to go out and splash your cash on anything fancy, simply use a normal kitchen sponge, draw on and cut out your own design for the same desired effect. You can then go back and add details once the paint has dried, outlining the stamp with a marker pen, or adding little stems on flowers etc.
Take this to the next level and make your own wrapping paper for a special occasion by using a roll of plain brown kraft wrapping-paper.
Union Jack Bunting
With the Queen's Jubilee fast approaching, why not get into the spirit with some adorable handmade bunting! If you're one for hosting lots of parties or barbecues, this is the perfect little decoration to put up around your home when people come to visit.
Simply paint a flag onto your little one's hand, and stamp onto the wooden hearts, finishing them off by adding detail by hand if they need a little touching up. Your little one will love the feeling of the paint on their hands, and can use up the rest of your paint on paper once you've finished the hearts!
These Wooden Hearts from Baker Ross are the perfect size for mini hand prints, and can be decorated in any way you like for any occasion. The perfect party gift, or lasting memory to give out to relatives from your little one.
Invisible Ink
Make learning letters fun with invisible ink! This is a simple technique that your toddler will find fascinating and exciting, and you'll probably get just as much excitement from it too.
All you'll need is some white wax crayons and water colour paints. Simply write down your letters using the white crayons, which shouldn't show up on normal white paper, and then allow your little one to reveal the invisible scribbles by painting over with water colour paint.
You can do this for years with your little ones, using the same technique for secret pirate treasure hunts or magic tooth fairy letters left in the night!
It just goes to show, it doesn't have to be expensive to be fun! There's plenty of fun to be had with household items, you just need to be openminded about how you use them, and the fun will flow. Follow Jessica for more creative ideas.
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