Crafting with Little Kids: Treasure Jars

My son, like many preschoolers I know, likes to collect things. We have little piles of his “treasures” in various places of the house: under the coffee table, under the pillows on the sofa, all over his bedroom….the list of places goes on. Most recently he brought home his latest treasures, a plastic baggie of seashells collected on a recent beach visit.

Since it is unofficially summer, and really feels like it now that preschool has ended, I decided to help my son contain his treasures in one place while creating a memento of his summer adventures that he could possibly share at preschool in the fall. A treasure jar can be created out of any recycled, wide-mouthed jar or container that has a lid. My rule for the treasure jar is that if the treasure doesn’t fit in it, then we don’t keep it! This should help cut down on clutter, while also helping my son to learn a bit of decision making skills. This is a simple craft to start that your child can add to all summer. At the end of the summer, help your child review all of the collected items and talk about where each was found.

Supplies:

• one wide-mouthed jar/container with lid per child (I used a recycled quart sized mason jar)
• small tag or 3 x 5 card cut in half, with hold punched out of top
• string, ribbon, or yarn long enough to tie around top of jar
• treasures collected over the summer

Directions:

Using the tag or card, name or label the jar with your child’s name, date or saying. Punch a hole and thread the string/yarn/ribbon and tie around the top of the jar. Explain the purpose of the jar to your child and help them start adding something to their Treasure Jar. Keep the jar in a prominent place at home so that treasures can be easily added over the summer and examined as desired.

Note: While I used a glass mason jar, if you are concerned about the safety of using a glass jar, a plastic one can be used. Dollar stores tend to sell larger plastic jars with lids, or even reuse a snack container sold by the big warehouse stores.

Happy Summer!

You can find othering crafting and preschool adventures on Diane’s blog Knitting Zeal.