We celebrated my husband’s birthday on lockdown. Since we’re only going out for essentials, we had to get a bit creative with the card and gifts. I know I’m not the only parent with a lot of time on my hands right now, so these are fun ways to pass the time, too!  These quick and cute little crafts are something for you and your toddler to have fun with and break up the monotony of your (new) daily routines.

The fun part about crafting with your kid is that nothing ever turns out perfect. It’s all kind of ugly-cute and you just have to accept that it might look more like it “has a nice personality”. The sooner you accept that, the more fun you’ll both have! And no matter how bad it looks, it’s perfect because your little one helped make it! Even the smudged, weird looking hand/footprints can make something fun! (Exhibit A: the fish above!)

What you’ll need for animals:

• non-toxic, washable paint
• paper plates
• crayons or colored pencils
• tape or glue
• white paper and/or construction paper
• picture frame (optional)
• large bowl with warm water
• towel

Pour some paint onto the paper plates and you can use a paintbrush to apply or just simply dip their hands/feet in. I just let Joey walk on the paper or put his hands on it.  For smaller kids it’s easier to help them. *We did our artwork outside to make clean up easier!

After we were all done and the paint dried (and he was napping) I started to make some fun animals for dad using the crayons and colored pencils. I have seen some REALLY cute animals that parents have made. Ours  are pretty awkward and I love them. Use your imagination- because who cares if no one else likes it. Your family will.

TIPS: When I did this last year with Joey, I did it while he was in his high chair and quickly washed up his feet and hands. But now that he’s bigger I just like to get his feet or hands painted up and let him go after it. I know somewhere my mother-in-law is feeling anxious because she knows her grandson is covered in paint- but it’s so fun!

What you’ll need for card:

• crayons
• construction paper
• scissors
• glue or tape

This is the easiest project for kids. All I do is color with Joey for a while on a piece of paper. After it’s pretty well covered, I freehand draw flowers and cut them out. Then I paste them onto the construction paper and make a quick card! (I make a lot of silly crafts at home using this idea.)