Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission.

V has dove headfirst into “I can do it mom” mode. While I like to let her try there are a few things that make me nervous. Like opening the milk or a water bottle. I just don’t want it to slip out of her hand and make a huge mess. However, this is a life skill… So I decided to start saving bottles! What you need:

V has dove headfirst into “I can do it mom” mode. While I like to let her try, there are a few things that make me nervous. Like opening the milk or a water bottle. I just don’t want it to slip out of her hand and make a huge mess. However, this is a life skill… So I decided to create a busy board that will help her practice, without giving me a mild heart attack in the process.  The first step?  Start saving bottles!

Supplies for your Fine Motor Busy Board:

• Plastic Bottles with Lids.
• Box Cutter or Sharp Knife.
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue.
• Pice of Cardboard.

Place it on the floor and let your little one(s) play. See how they decide to use it. After about 15 mins of taking the lids on and off, V decided to grab some pompoms to put in her containers. She practiced sorting them by size then color. I just love these activities where they are learning so much while having fun! Just let them play and explore.

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Every year we display all of the lovely cards we get in the mail and every year they end up in a stack at the bottom of one of our Christmas bins. We always pick out a few to make greeting card boxes, but there are always so many leftovers! These craft stick puzzles the perfect way to use them up and make a great activity for your little ones.

What you need to make your Christmas Card Puzzles:

• Craft sticks.
• Christmas cards. (You could do this for any occasion)
• White glue.
• A box cutter or Exacto knife.
• Tape.

How to assemble your Christmas Card Puzzles:

Start by looking through your cards. Pick out ones with a good image to create your puzzle. Then cut the front off from the back. Trim the image if you like. Next, use a strip of tape to hold your craft sticks together.

Spread your glue on the back of your card. Place on your craft sticks, flip over and add some weight like a few cans to make sure the image doesn’t bubble up anywhere. Let dry.

Once dry, fold between the sticks, then cut along the created corner. Then play! V did them each separately and then mixed them all together and completed all 3. I used these colored craft sticks to make it easier for her to pick apart the puzzles. These are a great boredom buster to pull out at restaurants, doctors’ offices, or could even be done in the car on a cookie sheet! They also give a second life to those all of those Christmas cards.

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This fine motor activity is perfect for hand-eye coordination and let’s face it… teaching them to button and unbutton is pretty important too. We created no-sew button snakes a while back if your little one isn’t a flower lover. My daughter loves to create flower crafts, so I wanted this project to be something that she loved making and working with. She can sit and create flowers for long chunks of time so that’s a win in my book!

What you need for your Button Practice Felt Flowers:

• A jar lid.
• Pipe Cleaner.
• A button. Size doesn’t matter too much. A larger button is easier for a younger child to manipulate.
• Felt. Green and any color for flowers.
• Scissors.
• Hot glue and a hot glue gun.

Making your Button Practice Felt Flowers:

Start by taking your pipe cleaner and threading it through your button. Twist off to attach. Using hot glue attach the pipe cleaner under the rim of the jar lid. Then bend and glue so that the button comes away from the center of the jar lid.

Next, make petals and leaves. Cut the felt into different sized squares. Fold into quarters and cut into a petal or leaf shape. Play around with different sizes and shapes to give them a lot of variety!
Then cut a slit in the middle of each shape. You want it to be about the size of the button.
The felt will stretch a bit. The older the child the snugger you want it to be. This way they have to actually button on the flower petals and leaves!

They look so pretty! You could even add a magnet on the back to keep them on your fridge!

You can even customize them for the holidays… anyone thinking about Christmas yet…

We like to hold onto random things to craft with… jar lids happen to be one of them!

See more crafts using jar lids here:

Diwali Light Holders // Sand in My Toes
Preserved Kids Art Magnets with Recycled Jar Lids // Views From a Step Stool
Button Practice Felt Flowers // Twitchetts
Easy Christmas Craft: Jar Lid Baubles // Arty Crafty Kids
Mason Jar Lid Crafts: Melted Crayon Suncatchers // Schooling a Monkey
Kids Christmas Craft Idea: Upcycled Photo Frame Ornament // Books and Giggles
Squeeze n’ Croak Frog Craft // Kids Craft Room

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DIY Stick Horse

Let me start by saying that I can not sew.  So these DIY stick horses are no-sew.

One of the activities in Mr. Monster’s Justin Time Party was a horse race.  I needed to create a dozen stick horses quickly and inexpensively.

So we headed to the dollar store and grabbed one dozen oven mitts.  Then we headed to the craft store and grabbed a few other inexpensive supplies.

**Edited to add: Over 2 years later and these oven mitt stick horses have held up.  Mr. Monster “rides” his through the house at least once a day.

Don’t miss these other stick horse ideas!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Yield: 1 Stick Horse

How to create a no-sew stick horse

Print

Create a simple no-sew hobby horse with this step-by-step tutorial.

Materials

• Oven Mitt
• Wooden Dowel
• Large Googly Eyes
• 2 Small Paper Cups
• Yarn
• Ribbon

Tools

• Hot Glue Gun

Instructions

1. Start by attaching an eye to each side of your oven mitt using hot glue.
2. Next, glue together the two cups at the openings.
3. Push the cups into the large section of the oven mitt. This helps your horse keep its shape.
4. For the hair, start by measuring the length of the oven mitt onto your dowel and adding a few inches.  Mark that spot with a pencil.
5. Then wrap the dowel in yarn up to your mark. Secure the yarn with a bit of hot glue.
6. Grab a piece of cardboard that is the length you want your hair to be. Then wrap your yarn around the cardboard about 50-60 times.Remove the yarn from the cardboard and place it around your dowel. Start spreading the yarn across the wrapped portion of the dowel. Try to make the top of your dowel have more hair than the rest.  Once the yarn is in position, run hot glue along the yarn and wiggle the yarn in the glue to create a good hold. Last, snip the loops so that they turn into strands.
7. To attach the head to the stick, run a bead of hot glue down one end of the dowel and push it down onto one side of the open oven mitt.  Repeat on the other side.
8. Attach a piece of ribbon around the nose of the horse.
9. Finally, attach a long piece of ribbon to either side of the head.

If you want to create this in bulk, I recommend completing each step for each of your horses before moving on to the next.

We placed all of our horses into a tall laundry basket and placed them at the start of the race.

The kids went running when they saw all the stick horses. And they were off to the races.

More ways to make a fun hobby horse toy

• Create a classic sock stick horse
• Use up an old pool noodle from last summer
• Grab a free pattern for a felt horses head
• Grab these ideas and more in our collection of stick horse DIY ideas.

This project is great for making in bulk. Especially since there is no sewing machine required. It’s a fun project that will provide hours of fun for little girls and boys.

Tips for making a hobby horse.

The basic concept of attaching a horse head to a stick is not new. Kids have been playing with these classic toys for years. Here are some tips for making this easy stick horse.

• You can try adding a styrofoam ball or soft stuffing material to the nose, instead of the cups. It may hold up better.
• Make a more glamorous hobby horse by adding a fun feather boa or choosing fun colors for the hair.
• The wooden dowels will make up the base of the horse. Choose a size that is appropriate for the amount of use. After years of play, these were the parts that broke in the end. I still have a horse’s head in my house. horse eyes
• If you don’t want to buy a wooden stick, find an old wooden broomstick instead.
• You could swap the ribbon for a thicker brown cord, for a more realistic look. Or you could use a beaded necklace for a fun twist.
• Make sure the position of the eyes matches on each side of the face.

Don’t forget to pin these stick ponies to your Crafts Pinterest board!

This site wouldn’t be here without shares from people like you, and we are so thankful that you took the time to visit Twitchetts.

Know a friend who is looking for a DIY stick horse? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

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I know there are tons of tissue paper butterflies out there, but these are different. Your little ones can use a bit of fine-motor skills to create these beautiful masterpieces!

Create these unique butterflies during one of your April craft sessions.

What you need for your own tissue paper butterflies:

• A toilet paper tube. (One can make multiple butterflies)
• Tissue paper. As many or as few colors as you like or have.
• A pipe cleaner. One pipe cleaner will make 2 butterflies.
• Hot glue (and glue gun)
• White glue.
• String. Optional if you would like to hang them up.

Making your tissue paper butterflies:

Start by creating your wings. Cut your toilet paper tube into rings. Pinch your rings into a tear drop shape.You can make them as thick as you like, but I did ours about a half an inch thick. Cut your pipe cleaner in half, then fold in half. Twist it together then part the tips to make antennas.

Assemble your butterflies for your little ones.Attach the upper and lower wings with a dab of hot glue, then using more hot glue to add your wings to your bodies.

Rip your tissue paper into small square-ish shapes around the size of the palm of your hand. These do not have to be precise. Then have your little one crumple them up into small balls. You can help with this if they are too young.Next, have them fill in the wings with these small tissue paper balls.

When they have them perfectly placed swirl white glue around the top and let dry completely.

If you would like to hang them simply untwist the top antenna and slide in a piece of string or yarn then twist back together and hang!

Then you are done!This is such a great craft for your kiddos because of all of the fine motor work they do, without even knowing it! I hope you enjoy this activity with your little one!

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These grocery sack paper bag books can really be used for anything! When you make them they have all of these cute little pockets so the kids can add their treasures too. First, a DIY on how to make one of these bag books! Then I will share how we turned ours into a great homemade gift for dad!

What you need for your Recycled Grocery Sack Craft:

• A brown paper sack (just your standard grocery brown bag)
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Hole punch
• String, hemp, yarn, anything to bind it.
• Glue stick
• 2 pieces of paper.

How to make your Grocery Sack Book:

Fold to crease the bag, then cut the bag in half. Next, fold both parts of the bag in half. Leave a little hanging over on the open (top) end of the bag. This part you will fold over and staple. The stapled pages will go in the middle of your book. Make sure all of the openings are on the top of the book. Punch holes in the binding area.

Then using your string loop through and tie. Make sure to crease just past the binding a few times. You’re Done!

What to do with your recycled paper sack craft?

This paper bag book can be used for so many fun ideas!

Make it into a scavenger hunt book.

A nature hunt book.

A busy bag book.

A storybook.

Depending on your child’s age the options are endless!

Today we created a fun gift for dad (a.k.a in our home as Popi)

A standard piece of paper can be cut into quarters to add on your pages. I simply sat and had a conversation with V about her Popi. I asked her questions and she gave me all of the content. She colored the pages and then we glued them down. (with a glue stick)

This was my FAVORITE page…. kids say the darndest things right… She looked around the house for fun things to add to the book. She decided on a photo, some of her “lucky coins”, & more! Last I cut her out some paper hearts to color and add to the pouches. She was so proud that she already gave this recycled grocery sack craft to him… I guess we will be making something else for Father’s Day. I’m OK with that!

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egg carton flower magnet!

I have been obsessed with clear egg carton crafts for a while. I have used them for crafts like the DIY Bats.

We have used them in activities, like our Master Builder Lego Challenge. They are also perfect for making mini-greenhouses to start plants.

There are a few brands that sell eggs in clear cartons. In my store all of them happen to be organic as well, so that is a win, win, in my book!

My little girl created these flower magnets and was so proud! I love an art project that she can take the lead on.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission.  

Supplies for you Egg Carton Flower Magnets:

• Clear Egg Cartons… no, they don’t have to be clear, but I love the way they look!
• Scissors.
• Paint.
• Paint Brush.
• Paint Pallet.
• Tape.
• Corn Cob holder. Or a skewer (something to poke a couple of small holes through the carton)
• Pipe Cleaners. One per flower.
• Buttons. One per flower.
• Magnet with sticky back or hot glue.

Making your Egg Carton Crafts:

Start by cutting your egg carton into thirds. This will give you 3 flowers with 4 petals each.  Trim the edges to make them nice are round.

Then use a little bit of tape to hold them to the table while your toddler paints the insides. Give them colors that will look pretty if fully blended together. A good combo red, purple, white.   A bad combo orange, purple, white. Let the cartons dry. Then use your corn cob holder to, carefully poke 2 holes through the center of your flower. This is seriously the best tool for the job!

Next, have your toddler thread a button on one end of a pipe cleaner. Stick that into the unpainted side of the flower. Then have them put the other side through another buttonhole, then through the second hole in the middle of the flower.
Pull all the way through and twist the stem together to hold. You can bend the leftover stem to add a leaf if you choose! Take and create a circle on the backside using the pipe cleaner. This will give you a flat surface to place your magnet.

Then they are done! Super-Cute. Super Easy. Toddler Egg Carton Flower!

Don’t forget to pin this to your Spring Pinterest Board!

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Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission.  Thank you for supporting Twitchetts!

We all know that these Mini Figures are marketing gold. They come in mystery packs for $3 a piece, and the kids don’t even know what they are buying! On top of that, you can buy a case to display them in… for $20-$50. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of these little figurines, my son earns his own money and can spend it as foolishly as he pleases.


After researching the storage cases I realized I would just have to come up with a way to make a some sort of Minecraft mini figure storage myself. I don’t know how long he will be collecting them, but I do know that is too much money to spend on a case.

What you need to make your own DiY Minecraft Mini Figure Storage:

• A Lid. Size depends on how many of these suckers you have lying around the house.
• Toilet Paper Tubes or Paper Towel Tubes. The more the better!
• White Glue.
• Hot Glue.
• A Piece of Cardboard.
• Spray Paint.

How to make your DIY Minecraft Mini-Figure Storage:

First, cut your tubes. A toilet paper tube into 3rds or paper towel tube into 6ths. They do not have to be perfect. Some of the characters are bigger than others so the staggering sizes worked well for the stand… and my sanity.Now, using white glue, start gluing them in! I did a layer of glue on the bottom and sides then slid the tubes into place so it would coat the whole edge.Continue this until the whole lid is full. Then let it sit to dry under a fan or over night.Create a base using a rectangle piece of cardboard that is bigger than the side of your lid. Use hot glue to attach it, this will make it much more stable. Then give it a few coats of paint. Just like J’s Lego mini figure stand, he requested black.

Next he added in all of his little mini figures…Ta-Da! His very own Minecraft mini figure storage…All together my version of Minecraft mini figure storage cost about $5, for glue and spray paint (which I have leftovers of both). He was happy, I was happy, and now all of his little mini figures are happy in their new home.

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Now they might seem painted in the picture, but they aren’t… we use a technique was adapted from a classic. Melted crayon rocks. If you aren’t familiar with this craft, check it out here on Red Ted Art. I made one of these rocks for my dad when I was little. He still proudly displays it!!

Supplies for Decorated Terracotta Pots:

• Terracotta Pots…. whatever size or shape you want!
• Crayons. You will need to peel them.
• Cooling rack or hot pad.
• Foil.
• Paper bag or cardstock.
• Extra hot pot holder or kitchen towel.
• A clear coat spray paint.
• Clothes Pins. These are optional, but I really think they work great!

Making your Mother’s Day flower pots

Start by putting a layer of foil on your oven rack, add your terracotta pots, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While your oven and pots are heating up you can pick your crayon colors and remove the wrappers. Set up your workspace with a cooling rack or hot pad. Place a paper bag or a sheet of cardstock on top. Use the clothespins to hold the crayons.
The clothespins keep your kid’s fingers a little further from the pot. Like I said not necessary, but we found this very helpful. Once the oven gets up to the temperature set a timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off your oven. Using a hot pad remove only the pot you will be working on. Draw on the pot with your crayons!***Warning:  These pots are hot.  I held the pot for all of my kids just to help supervise and make sure they didn’t actually reach out and touch it!***

The crayon will melt instantly while drawing on the pot. They can swirl the colors around and mix the colors. All sorts of different creations can be made. Kids will love watching the crayons melt. These will stay Hot for a few minutes. Once they have cooled completely, spray the decorated terracotta pots with a clear coat to keep them from smearing.
Fill your pots and they are ready to be gifted!

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Tissue Paper Hearts

Doesn’t it feel like we’re flying through the holidays? After the sting of Christmas on your wallet, the last thing on your mind is spending a bunch of money on Valentine’s Day decorations.

Luckily I have a fast and fun DIY project for you.  These recycled tissue paper hearts are easy to make, cost next to nothing, and turn out to be great Valentine’s Day crafts.

Don’t miss these fun and easy Valentine’s Day Crafts!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Supplies for your upcycled tissue paper heart:

• A chocolate heart box… (see now you have an excuse to eat a little chocolate)
• Tissue paper (Mine is Reused from Christmas wrap)
• Elmers glue
• A pencil with an eraser
• Scissors

Making your Valentine’s Day decorations:

Start by cutting your tissue paper into squares. These do not need to be perfect!

For my smaller heart, I used approximately 2″ x 2″ squares for the larger heart closer to 3 x 3 squares.

Take your square and press the eraser end of your pencil into the middle. Pinch the tissue paper up against the side of your pencil and give a slight twist.

Dab the tissue paper into some glue and then press it into place on your empty heart box.

Pull the pencil up, wrap another piece of tissue paper on, and repeat this process.

Slowly fill your heart with tissue paper.  You can go back in and add more paper in areas that seem like they need to be thicker.

Related Craft: Colorful tissue paper butterflies!

Creating larger Valentine’s Day Crafts

Last year my man got me the Big heart… I mean the Really Big heart. Because I am a self-proclaimed craft hoarder, I held onto it for a year.

I knew it would be perfect for some Valentine’s Day crafts.  If you’re doing a large tissue paper heart, I recommend adding a sign to the middle as I did here.  I did prop the piece of paper up with some spacers.

Then fill in around your sign with more tissue paper.

These Valentine’s Day decorations can be used anywhere!  And if you don’t have room to save them for next year, you can toss them at the end of the season…they cost next to nothing!

This Valentine’s Day craft is a perfect craft for kids, your older kids could easily help out. So don’t throw out those candy boxes!  Try out these fun upcycled tissue paper hearts instead!

Don’t forget to pin these Valentine’s crafts for kids to your Valentine’s day board

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