Crafting with Little Kids: decorative frames

With this mild winter we are having, creating snow-themed crafts seems somewhat inappropriate, but just in case it does snow, this is a fun craft to make. My son has his own kids' camera and he enjoys taking photos. He has asked me to print some of his photos so he can decorate his room and even went as far as to ask to go to Ikea to buy frames for his photos. Decorating frames to use at home or to give as gifts (think Valentine's Day gifts for parents, grandparents) is a fun and simple craft. We already had pompoms at home, but any kind of decorations, from buttons to stickers, could be used.

Sticking with a snowball theme, we used white pompoms to decorate some cheap blue frames purchased at Ikea. The frames are sold in a two pack, and come in different sizes and colors. We picked blue for winter, but a red frame with red and white pompoms would be fun for Valentine's Day.

Supplies:
Pompoms, buttons, stickers, foam shapes
simple wood frame
glue dots

Directions:
Let your kids decide what materials they want to use, if there is a choice, and to do a basic layout of where they want their decorations to go. The glue dots are a safe alternative to a glue gun and there is no drying time. In place of glue dots, white glue can be used, just allow for drying time. The glue dots are very sticky and I found it was easier to apply them to the frame and then adhere the pompom. We added some foam stickers too.

This is a fast project, perfect for kids with short attention spans! For a more involved project, use unfinished frames and paint them first.

As a side note, Ikea is a great place to go with kids. A kids combo meal is about $2.50 and there is a great kids area for them to eat and play. On Tuesdays, kids eat free! It's a great place to visit during lousy weather, as it's a huge indoor place to run around, climb on kid-friendly furniture, or even to visit the kids play area. (No affiliation, just a mom who loves to visit there!)

You can find more crafts and other adventures with a preschooler on Diane's blog Knitting Zeal.