For some reason I was really excited to do crafts with my son. My mom laughed at me and thought I was crazy to attempt it, and if I am being honest I probably am/was, but I did it. I bought paint, and crayons and paper….and I decided to go for it. Why not right? What’s the worst that can happen… a mess? I have a feeling we will have a lot of those over the years so why not start now. So I am hear to tell you that YES, it is definitely possible to do crafts with your toddler…more specifically? Your toddler boy!

I’m told that boys have less of a desire to do crafts then girls. Probably a true story. I don’t think it’s less of a desire, I think their desire to make a mess takes over before they get the chance to want to do the craft itself. So the best way to do it is to be prepared for the mess in advance. Don’t be surprised when they make one…and over all have fun with it!

How to do crafts with your toddler

Be VERY prepared: I bought multiple plastic table clothes to put on the ground. I had a roll of paper towels ready and at hand. I even had some wet in advance. On top of that I had a bowl of water ready so that I could dunk his hands if he started to get rowdy and I needed to get rid of the paint ASAP.

I started in the winter so I turned up the temperature in the room, and I took off all of his clothes. No need to mess them up. My neighbor bought me a great smock at IKEA that I now use, but no clothes works just as well!

Don’t expect too much. Most likely your kid isn’t a Picasso. Also, don’t get too involved in what your idea of the craft is, because most likely your kid will just want to smear paint or whatever you are working with all over. You know what? Who cares?

The point is to stimulate your child’s creativity. Use color, have texture and have fun. Listen, I am by no means an expert. I am not crafty AT ALL! I really just let the little guy smear paint on things like paper and picture frames. I get excited when he takes an interest at all (which sometimes he doesn’t).

What’s even better is doing crafts NOT in your home. I have loved the art portion of our Gymboree classes. They are much more creative in the idea department than I am and I love watching him attempt things.

Overall I have a feeling that art WON’T be his favorite activity (although he certainly loves to color on this with crayon). That doesn’t mean that I stop introducing it to him. Don’t take it too seriously. Let your kid make a bit of a mess, just be prepared for it so you can minimize it.

Good luck! Show me your favorite craft ideas!