Tip—Art projects are particularly good for giving young children a chance to create and be independent at the same time.

December and the winter holidays can make for some crazy afternoons and busy parents. The busier you are, the more demanding or clingy the toddler seems to be. Not to worry. If you have a pile of presents to wrap, set up your toddler in his high chair nearby and let him create a little art of his own. Small children usually like to be involved in whatever you’re doing, so cut him a few pieces of wrapping paper, give him some markers and perhaps a glue stick or pieces of tape. Let him create. If he wants you to use it for wrapping a gift—go ahead, Daddy or Grandma would love to have their gift wrapped in his paper.

Preschool teacher Sandi Dexter, author of Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends says, “There is great delight for your child in drawing with crayons, pencils and markers. She may spend hours on this activity, producing reams of drawings. Be sure to keep the emphasis on the creating and not on the objects she creates. What she produces doesn’t have to be ‘something’ and probably isn’t, in her mind.” My good friend with a two year old recently told me about seeing her daughter totally engrossed in a drawing. She asked her what it was. Her daughter looked at her, puzzled, and answered, “It’s just that.” Indeed.

Dexter points out that your child’s interest is in using the tools and seeing how her body works. You can make comments like, “You must be strong! Look at how dark that pencil mark is. You are using your muscles to press the pencil onto the paper.”

Tools—Watercolors are fun for toddlers and twos. Watercolor markers are also fun for them—especially on paper towels or coffee filters. Dexter recommends putting a child in the high chair to contain the mess, or using the open door of your dishwasher as a table for painting. Spills are easily cleaned in the next wash cycle.

Young children use lots and lots of materials. You can be on the watch for cheap rolls of shelf paper or butcher paper. Brown paper grocery bags can be torn apart and placed flat. Markers or crayons meant especially for construction paper work well on this paper.

Not only do toddlers use lots of paper, they love to use paste. Here’s a recipe, drawn from Joyful Play, for easy, cheap (and safe) homemade paste.

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends by Sandi Dexter.

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