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January 19, 2009 | 27 Comments

Crafting with Toddlers – Be Flexible.

Crafts don’t always go smoothly, paint and glue are eaten daily and yes tantrums happen, usually him but sometimes me too! I try to roll with it, sometimes we take a break half way through crafts we just walk away and go back when the time is right. Here he kept pulling up the newspaper I had taped down with painters tape and putting the tape in his mouth. Not to mention the green paint everywhere, including up his nose!

I can’t remember what craft he was supposed to be making here but as you can see he wasn’t doing it. Instead he was carefully placing the chalk onto his beloved John Deere tractor. A perfect example of why I try not to do crafts when time is limited.

I have framed this picture for family because it is my son in a nutshell, he celebrates his “exploration” with abandon. He knew I was too far away from him to stop him from pouring the lentils everywhere. He was right. I found lentils in my kitchen for months, usually with my feet. They hurt.

This was a post that never made it up. I was going to do a post about an airplane “Busy Bag” and all the fun things in it to keep him busy. It never got posted, he wouldn’t take it off his head and I gave up.

Does this look like a kid who is having fun? It was probably past time for me to give up and grab our coats.

As you can see we are not perfect, far far from it! I try to keep my expectations appropriate but I mess up , miss the mark and have bad days. Sometimes it’s better to abandon the craft , run outside and come in for a nap.  So if a craft tanks, or a pretty art project gets ruined , so what?! Try to follow your child’s interests and know that messes will be made and the goal isn’t a perfect project, it’s an interested and engaged child.

Filed Under: For Parents, Outakes | 27 Comments

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27 Comments

  1. Valerie Deneen says

    January 19, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    That is so funny! Love the lentil fiesta!!

    Valerie
    Frugal Family Fun Blog

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  2. Tanya says

    January 20, 2009 at 12:11 am

    Thanks for this posting. So often, I hear people say that blogs are stressing them out or making them feel “inadequate”. I have the same philosophy with my toddler as you do — go with the flow and don’t expect perfection. Glad you are getting that message out, too. Keep up the excellent work. You are an inspiration to many moms out there! 🙂

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  3. Melitsa says

    January 20, 2009 at 8:21 am

    Thanks for posting your outtakes. We know we all have them. Following your child’s cues are so important. They are always learning something just not what we planned… but that’s ok too.

    to Melitsa" aria-label='reply to this comment to Melitsa'>reply to this comment
  4. Allie says

    January 20, 2009 at 9:16 am

    You said it perfectly Melitsa, they are still learning just maybe not what we were expecting them to!

    I’ll try to take more outtake pictures, goodness knows i have enough opportunity!

    to Allie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allie'>reply to this comment
  5. Wildwood Mama says

    January 20, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    I love you for this. Somedays, it just seems so impossible to do crafty toddler things and it’s good to be reminded to take it easy on those days!

    to Wildwood Mama" aria-label='reply to this comment to Wildwood Mama'>reply to this comment
  6. Heather - CROQZine.com - Dollarstorecrafts.com says

    January 20, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    So funny and so true! I have had to bribe my 2yo with candy to model some of my crafty endeavors, and I am holding out hope that my 2nd son will be more into art projects! Ha ha! 🙂 Such an adorable boy you have.

    Check it! I gave you an award on my blog: http://croqzine.com/blog/?p=793

    to Heather - CROQZine.com - Dollarstorecrafts.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to Heather - CROQZine.com - Dollarstorecrafts.com'>reply to this comment
  7. joyceandnorm says

    January 20, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    hehehe cute

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  8. Andrea says

    January 20, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    I love your realism, I think that’s what every mom wants to hear from each other. Speaking of the lentils.. I used to give mine a giant bowl of dry pasta and beans to play with in the kitchen — Don’t use Ditalini those REALLY hurt your feet too.

    to Andrea" aria-label='reply to this comment to Andrea'>reply to this comment
  9. Melanie says

    January 20, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    Thanks for posting those! I love the way your crafts are age-appropriate and use things that I have sitting around the house. These pics remind me how I’m still picking up styrofoam packing peanuts from when I let my kiddos play with them on the screened in porch. You’d think I would know by now that they are NOT going to stay in the box! 🙂

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  10. Barbara says

    January 20, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    You are so cute!
    THis post is so wonderful because it shows how we are all in this thing together:)
    Keep up the good work…
    I love when you add songs and poems to your posts.
    I have used some in my Kindergarten classroom …the kids love them.
    Barbara

    to Barbara" aria-label='reply to this comment to Barbara'>reply to this comment
  11. JBSquared says

    January 20, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    I love your “outtakes!” I have attempted to do art projects with my 2 year old twins, and it almost always ends in tears – mine! I do tend to forget that it’s the time spent together that counts, not the pretty picture on the fridge door. I think that I am the one learning here, more than them. But we will definitely keep trying, thanks to your inspiring ideas!

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  12. Fran says

    January 21, 2009 at 5:27 am

    Sooo funny!! With 2 two year olds we have lots of mess and outtakes too!

    to Fran" aria-label='reply to this comment to Fran'>reply to this comment
  13. Monkey's Mama says

    January 23, 2009 at 12:24 am

    I’m so happy to see this! It’s not just us!!!

    to Monkey's Mama" aria-label='reply to this comment to Monkey's Mama'>reply to this comment
  14. Damselfly says

    January 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Whoa! I am impressed you do so many crafts! My son doesn’t like to get his hands dirty, so I can hardly even get him to play with PlayDough! But what really blows me away is the sight of your son actually sitting on the timeout mat! How do you do it? 🙂

    to Damselfly" aria-label='reply to this comment to Damselfly'>reply to this comment
  15. Allie says

    January 23, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Oh he gets up from time to time,but he just gets taken right back! His newest thing is telling me “Mama ready! Bye Bye timeout!”.

    Keeps me on my toes!

    to Allie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allie'>reply to this comment
  16. Anonymous says

    February 13, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    Wow, I feel so much better about our craft time experiences now!!!
    We have those moments also.

    to Anonymous" aria-label='reply to this comment to Anonymous'>reply to this comment
  17. reprehriestless warillever says

    March 4, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I’m glad to know that I am not the only adult who has tantrums during art time 🙂

    to reprehriestless warillever" aria-label='reply to this comment to reprehriestless warillever'>reply to this comment
  18. Allie says

    March 12, 2009 at 11:59 am

    It happens to the best of us ! The other day he was eating the paint and saying “YUM!” and I just walked away. It worked, his audience was gone but I walked away because I was getting so frustrated. He won’t eat food but crayola paint is apparently it’s own food group!

    to Allie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allie'>reply to this comment
  19. Brea's Mommy says

    March 27, 2009 at 11:07 am

    It looks like you all have lots of fun with activities. I have been having trouble coming up with activities for my 18 month old. I am grateful for finding your site. I will be subscribing. Thanks so much for participating in Show off your blog Saturday. I loved reading your post and hope that you will join in again tomorrow.

    to Brea's Mommy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Brea's Mommy'>reply to this comment
  20. Melodie says

    April 11, 2009 at 9:12 am

    yes, craft time, I know it well. I do family child care and once a day attempt to do crafts with up to 6 children ranging in ages from 1 1/2 to 4. It’s CRAZY! I’m often quite happy when they show no interest because the ones who *do* make such a mess. It’s a fine balance between being glad they are enjoying themselves and feeling completely overwhelmed by the mess and the ingestion of felt pen ink, paint and glue.

    to Melodie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Melodie'>reply to this comment
  21. Deborah says

    January 3, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Haha – I love it!
    .-= Deborah´s last blog ..The value of tape in the preschool classroom =-.

    to Deborah" aria-label='reply to this comment to Deborah'>reply to this comment
  22. Trudie says

    January 4, 2010 at 12:01 pm

    Love his little tummy sticking out in the Airplane bag pic!
    .-= Trudie´s last blog ..My Dad =-.

    to Trudie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Trudie'>reply to this comment
  23. Jackie Lee says

    January 26, 2010 at 10:23 am

    These out takes are great and help me remember it’s the time together that really counts. I’ve had a question I’ve been meaning to ask you… What do you do with all the crafts you all complete? We’ve done quite a few of your crafts, but I don’t really know what to do with them when we’re done ~ where to store, how long to keep them etc. Any suggestions?
    .-= Jackie Lee´s last blog ..Q and A ~ Reader’s Questions Answered =-.

    to Jackie Lee" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jackie Lee'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      January 26, 2010 at 8:29 pm

      I recycle most everything! What I do do is take pictures wait for the photo sites like snapfish and winklash to have sales on photo books and make books of his art! It will last and take up way less room.

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  24. Tara Ziegmont says

    April 13, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    I love this. Thanks for sharing it anew.

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Trackbacks

  1. Arts & Crafts Play | PhD in Parenting says:
    September 24, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    […] Her posts are nice and easygoing and make jumping into crafts with kids seem easy. But it isn’t always that way. She gave her readers a glimpse of the little mishaps and bloopers that come with the territory in Outtakes By Request. […]

    to Arts & Crafts Play | PhD in Parenting" aria-label='reply to this comment to Arts & Crafts Play | PhD in Parenting'>reply to this comment
  2. Broccoli Painting and Color Mixing - No Time For Flash Cards says:
    August 22, 2013 at 1:41 am

    […] This year we grew a lot of broccoli in our vegetable garden. I was hoping growing it would spark interest in eating it ,the way growing spinach did last year but no. Not at all. Other than offering it up to anyone who wants some, one thing broccoli is great for at our house is painting. Broccoli used as a paintbrush is so much fun, add in a color mixing activity and it’s a huge hit! I am still hopeful that playing with it will lead to a desire to eat it but my daughter was never the one who ate paint, that was my son. […]

    to Broccoli Painting and Color Mixing - No Time For Flash Cards" aria-label='reply to this comment to Broccoli Painting and Color Mixing - No Time For Flash Cards'>reply to this comment

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