Dressing up is a must at our house. My son is never just chilling in his own clothes there is almost always a costume, some accessories or at the very least a hat to support his pretend play that starts when he wakes up and ends when we wrestle him into his PJs for bed. This craft was done spur of the moment when my scarf wrapped around his shoulders was simply not enough costume to be a superhero. It was so easy and if you don’t have foam on hand, felt, paper or even stickers would be great options. The foam has held up really well, we made this almost a month ago, and it’s still going strong.
- Gather your materials. You will need a toilet paper roll ( or wrapping paper/paper towel tube ), some paint, sparkly sticky back foam ( great option for those afraid of letting your kids loose with glitter shakers), scissors and a paint brush.
- Start by cutting some buttons out of the foam. I asked my son what shapes he wanted but did the cutting myself.
- Next cut the roll open. Round the edges with scissors.
- Add the foam. When making props to play with skipping things that need to be glued on is usually a safe way to go. Also, anything they have to peel the backing off is a great fine motor skill activity, so it’s fast and worthwhile!
- Add paint – this is optional. We chose to paint after the foam because sticking the foam on wet paint is futile and painting around the shapes is another good fine motor skill activity as well as hand eye coordination which is your child is a beginning writer like mine they will benefit from as much pressure free practice as possible.
- Let dry … a little tip I sometimes use when I need things to dry faster for pictures … or eager kids who want to play superhero before bedtime( can you tell he was crying in the picture above? The tears were instantaneous when I told him he’d have to wait for the paint to dry.) Take some paper towel and blot the paint. If you are careful, only the excess comes off.
- Play!
Superhero Picture Books
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Super Duck (Duck in the Truck) by Jez Albourough was ok, I liked it but my little man didn’t. Here’s the thing the book is part of a series, and we haven’t read the other books, we grabbed this one because of the super hero theme and Super Duck was only kinda super. I like the rhyming text it flowed well, the rhymes were never forced, but it was just too young for my son who is 4.5 to enjoy it. He didn’t find Duck funny, but I am sure other kids would. It’s a fun silly book, just don’t grab it for a kid who is expecting body armor, x-ray vision, and golden lassos.
Supersister by Beth Cedena wasn’t full of x-ray vision or super powers either but my son adored it. Kids are unpredictable. This story though is sweet and also has a little but of mystery to it , which upon reflection could be one reason why my son liked it so much. Supersister is a little girl who is brave and helpful, and we witness that when she lovingly ties her mom’s shoes for her before zooming off to school. Okay so I preach about pre-reading books, but rarely do it and reading this I was so worried the mom was going to be in a wheelchair or hospital bed and that’s why she needs her daughter to tie her shoes. I lean towards the dramatic, so I doubt you’d even be thinking that and my son didn’t either. Nothing tragic has happened to mom, she is just very very pregnant. Supersister is practicing her role as a caregiver and older sister! My son loved that since he takes his still fairly new role of big brother very seriously. Cute book for new siblings especially!
Eliot Jones, Midnight Superhero by Alex Cottringer was exactly the kind of superhero book both my son and I were looking for. Eliot is just a calm quiet boy by day but by night he saves the world! It tapped into my son’s imagination right from the start and he was hooked. He loved the action, and I loved that unlike the more character driven superhero books the plot is high on action and saving and low on violence and aggression. My son loved that scientists were working with Eliot, and that he had to travel to the Himalayas as part of this mission to save the world. I loved it to because it totally promotes and makes science and geography extra cool! All in all a great book although the text would have been too long for my son a year ago at 3. I’d keep this one for the 4 and up crowd.
Susie says
Love that last pic of him. What a cutie!
GummyLump.com says
We love it! We are all about superheroes here! My son saw the picture of tour son posing and said, “Is that me?” LOL! We just made a Captain America with Shield out of a paper plate. I have to turn it into a puppet somehow (now they tell me!)
Twisted Cinderella says
What a fun craft!
Zombie Mom Comics says
OMG that picture is SO cute!!! My daughter loves superheroes (not a Barbie household ;)) She would love this!
Lindsay says
Check out A Mighty Girl on Facebook. They have fabulous suggestions! I use them all the time for my super hero loving nieces!
Also- Pigtail Pals Ballcap Buddies. The woman who runs this page is a best-selling author about empowering children.
vanessa @ silly eagle books says
So cute! My daughter has recently fallen in love with My Mom has X-Ray Vision—(super hero mom). Now she wants to be a super hero—I’ll have to dig up the tp rolls and make some cuffs with her. she’d love it. 🙂
Jillian says
We are always looking for ways that my son can dress up. (He’s getting a bit old to feel comfortable in his sisters fancy dresses!) This is a fantastic idea and I love the book reviews. I can’t wait to read Elliot Jones, Midnight Superhero!
Creative Play Plus says
That superhero cuff is out of this world! It would go great with a superhero cape. We love that you incorporated shapes for recognition, as well as developing fine motor skills into this creative project. He did a great job cutting out the shapes!
admin says
oh no no I did those 😉
Tania says
What a great idea Thanks for sharing! I’m going to try this with some of my kids for their therapy sessions. Great for fine motor skills 🙂
Elizabeth Bennett says
Wow! Such great ideas. We are so glad that our book, Elliot Jones, Midnight Superhero found it’s way into your home and creative plans. Thanks for helping us spread the word. We have posted a link to your blog on our facebook page (http://on.fb.me/fDZklw). Are you a fan yet?
Happy Reading,
Elizabeth Bennett
tiger tales
cathy@nurturestore says
Love your little superhero – what attitude! One our way to school last week a man cycled passed us in full superhero outfit complete with cape flying out behind him. It happened to be on a UK charity fundraising day, so I don’t think he always goes to work like that – but your never know. 😉
Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says
I love these Super hero bands! My daughter will love them!! She will love the books too! I am bookmarking this!!
Marla says
Did it-the KIDS loved it. They ran around & playe super hero’s after. thanks for sharing!
Jen says
I am totally loving the colors! This is awesome and perfect for the kids! I really loved the materials you put to complete features of the superhero cuff. We did a toilet paper roll snake project out of the same materials you used. You should check it out! 🙂
EarlyLearning.Momtusted.com: Toilet Paper Roll Snake Project
Cindy brown says
I enjoyed the cuffs. Especially children s books
Super sister. Will share with classroom
Stating we do brave acts and help people