Halloween Crafts: Fun Toddler Cards

I helped Lil make her first Halloween cards and they came out so stinking cute. I just had to share them with you and how we made one - the cat/pumpkin card. Yeah, I know, another toddler, mother assisted, tutorial. I helped Lil make three cards. We made them all pretty much the same way.

Supplies

Scissors,

Recycled Stickers (What’s left of the sticker sheet after you remove the sticker),

Crayons,

Googly Eyes (Everything is more fun with google eyes),

Blank Card (I got Lil a 50 pack of blank cards at Michael’s, last year, to make footprint and handprint birthday cards),

Glue Stick,

Stamp Markers (Purchased at Target’s dollar aisle). 

1) Have your toddler stamp the blank card first. Lil couldn’t get a good stamped image from the stamp markers so I had to help her. They’re not the best stamp markers because they are small but they do the trick for a dollar.

2) Cut around the recycled stickers and place them on the card. I cut a group of pumpkin recycled stickers. I showed Lil how to make a pumpkin face on one of the pumpkins. I was thrilled to watch her draw her first smiley faces on the pumpkins. She added stems and a leaf to each pumpkin. Then, I let Lil doodle the card. I also taught her how to draw a bat. She drew two bats, flying near a full yellow moon she doodled. 

3) Embellish with regular stickers. I added a cat sticker on the pumpkin of Lil’s choice.

4) Have your toddler help glue the google eyes, with the glue stick. Lil has gotten better at gluing small objects because she uses a glue stick regularly, when making crafts at Preschool Storytime, at the library.

I’m sorry for not providing pictures with each step. I wasn’t planning on making a tutorial with these cards, since it was an out of the blue (totally unplanned) Halloween craft. I had so much fun helping and watching Lil make the cards; I had to share our process with you, that way you could make them by yourself or with a little artist too. 

I was going to give the card with the cat and pumpkins to a friend but I decided to keep it. Come on, the card has Lil’s first drawn smiley faces and bats. I couldn’t bare to part with it. I had Lil make another card, the one with the spider, for my friend instead. Lil made these two cards a few weeks ago. 

We have been making many Halloween themed crafts lately; Lil keeps asking me almost everyday what Halloween crafts we are going to do next. On Sunday, Lil decided she wanted to craft again before bedtime. I helped her make the candy/ghost card pictured above. Yes, I’ve created a little craft monster! 

If you missed last week's, Halloween craft post, click HERE to check it out. 

Halloween Crafts: Cat Character Jar Kit

I’m expecting my second baby in October and I don’t feel like busting out all my Halloween decorations this year; I own more Halloween decorations than Christmas ones. The idea of putting a bunch of Halloween decorations away with a newborn and toddler sounds like a bad idea. However, I did put a few decorations up that I had stored in the house, not the garage, and decided to purchase some inexpensive Halloween kits for my daughter, Lil, instead. I love kits because they included all the supplies needed to create the craft. We started making Halloween crafts last month, since I don’t know how I will be feeling the closer my due date gets. 

The first Halloween kit I purchased was this Black Cat Character Jar Kit from Target. I found it in the dollar section at Target, which I hate because I always get in trouble in those aisles. I cant resist the deals and cute stuff! I purchased the kit for $3. They also have a pumpkin, monster, mummy, and sugar skull jar kit too. Lil picked the cat one and I got the sugar skull for myself.

The instructions provided were very easy to follow. This is kit ended up being a two day project since we had to wait for the black paint to dry completely before adding the cat face stickers. Lil added the cat ears first (as the jar soaked in warm water to remove the label), then painted the jar, and stuck the cat face stickers the next day.

I must admit while helping Lil with her cat jar kit, I was getting a bit frustrated because she wouldn’t listen and was putting stickers wherever she wanted. It wasn’t turning out to look like the cat jar in the picture. For example, the cat’s ears weren’t positioned right. Obviously, I had to remind myself she’s just a toddler. Most importantly, I realized by letting her do her own thing it made her cat jar more unique. I absolutely love how one of the cat’s eyes is crocked; it gives the cat character. Doing crafts with Lil has taught me to be patient and forced me to move perfectionism gradually to the side.

Lil loves making crafts. I have been making art with Lil from the very beginning, with footprint art. I’ve always known that not only is being creative with my kid fun but it is also beneficial. I just didn’t know exactly in which way until I read “Why Art and Creativity Are Important” on Parents.com. I was thrilled to learn, Lil was improving her fine motor skills just by manipulating the paintbrush when painting her jar black. I also liked reading that by letting Lil do her own thing, putting the cat face stickers were she wanted on the jar, she was reaping big rewards. Creating art and learning new nursery rhyme songs helps boost Lil’s self-confidence. Every time her dad comes home from work, she can’t help but show off her new creation or sing the new song she learned. 

Currently, Lil’s cat jar kit sits on a table, in our small living room area, along with other Halloween decorations and Halloween picture frames. I gave Lil a LED tea light candle to put inside her cat jar since she didn’t over the jar completely with black paint. Her cat jar looks awesome at night, as the light shines through. She enjoyed making the Cat Character Jar Kit so much; she asked me if I could get her the monster jar kit and get her dad the pumpkin one at Target. The following week, I did. 

Hopefully, if time permits I can share the rest of the Halloween kits Lil and I have completed.