Simple DIY Clothespin Crafts for Kids
By Guest Blogger Isa Anissa
Part of the joys of making do-it-yourself projects with your kids is the whole process of turning a simple household object into a stunning work of art. You’ll see the bright look in your children’s eyes as they marvel at how you add a little flair to the design and create a piece that stands out for its originality. That’s why it’s inspiring how even a basic DIY craft such as transforming clothespins to miniature dolls can become a valuable venture for you and your little ones.
Benefits of Making Do-it-Yourself Project with Kids
According to Livestrong.com, the advantages of doing arts and crafts with kids revolves around the idea of total development. When they engage in DIY projects, kids stimulate their creativity and resourcefulness – essential things used in everyday life. From this, they’ll have that sense of achievement every time they’ve fulfilled a goal, as there’s always a certain type of satisfaction that comes from turning something out of nothing. And lastly, integrating the arts not only helps children with their academics, it also improves their critical thinking and problem solving skills; this is based from a study by writer and teacher, MaryAnn F. Kohl.
Where to Get Started on this DIY Journey
To entice kids into making do-it-yourself projects, you have to begin with an easy task, one that requires few materials yet offers a lot of benefits. Based on what was mentioned earlier, crafting small-scale clothespin dolls could be a good opening point. For starters, you need household materials such as wooden ball-top clothespins, half-wood disk, glue sticks, and glue gun. You also have to have paint, fine-tip brush, felt paper, and wires or hairpins.
How to Make Miniature Clothespin Dolls
Begin by sticking clothespins to half-wood disks to create a base for the dolls. Then, paint the ball-top heads with faces according to your liking. You can get inspiration from a plain Lego minifigure. Next step is to create hairpieces and/or head wears out of felt papers. Once you’re done, use a glue gun to fix the felt paper to the clothespins’ ball-top. To make the arms, twist the end of a paper-covered wire, or better yet use a hairpin, and glue them to the back of the clothespins.
Ways of Dressing Up Your DIY Small-Scale Characters
Now that you have your base models, it’s time to bring out a different side of your creativity. For a simpler approach, choose outfits for your dolls that have basic colours yet hard wearing. Cut out patterns that are interchangeable and can fit snugly into clothespin characters. For added stability, incorporate belts, aprons, or anything that can be tied into the dolls’ outfit. To top it all off, you can include handheld items such as a staff, a wand, or a book. Basically, sky’s the limit in terms of creating your own clothespin doll designs.
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great article!