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Fun crafts, songs, and activities
Activities for children can help nannies, babysitters and kids enjoy their time together! Below is a list of children's craft activities and songs. There are literally hundreds of ideas to entertain children! Here are just a few to get you started.
SIMPLE CRAFTS
| Activity | Items needed |
| Hats | newspaper and crayons |
| Balloon animals / people | balloons, markers, curling ribbon for hair |
| Paper plate masks | crayons, glitter, feathers, fine elastic |
| Clocks | paper plates, pipe cleaners |
| Bunny rabbit picture | paper, crayon, cotton wool balls for tails |
| Caterpillars | egg cartons, pipe cleaners, green markers or paint |
| Bracelets | froot loops threaded on fine elastic |
| Collage | glue, paper, objects |
| Painting | with rollers, stencils, brushes, stamps, sponges |
| Ink pictures | with pad & stamps |
| Foot & Hand Prints | paint and paper |
| Sticker pictures | stickers of all shapes and sizes! |
| Rainbows | coloured paper or crayons drawn in arches |
| Under the Sea | green paper background & shapes stuck on |
| Card-making | paper, paint, photos |
| Aeroplanes | paper and markers |
| Animal ears | paper to make headband, ears cut out of fabric or paper |
| Necklaces | pasta, elastic, paints, glitter |
| Pet rocks | Rocks, markers, stick on eyes |
| Puppets | upturned juice boxes & icy-pole sticks, wool for hair, markers to decorate |
| Scarecrow | paper bag stuffed with paper or cotton wool, decorated and placed on ice-cream stick |
| Butterfly mobile | coat hanger, string, butterflies, markers, glitter |
| Treasure hunt | treasures (toy jewellery) & hiding spots! |
| Shakers | little plastic juice bottle, filled with rice |
SONGS WITH ACTIONS
- Pat a cake
- I'm a little tea pot
- Ipsy Wipsy Spider
- Twinkle twinkle little star
- Round and round the garden
- This little piggy went to market
- Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
- If you're happy and you know it
- Little peter rabbit had a fly upon his nose
COUNTING SONGS
- This old man, he played 1
- 5 little ducks went out one day
- 1,2,3,4,5 Once I caught a fish alive
- There were 10 in the bed and the little one said
POPULAR NURSERY RHYMES
- Shoo fly
- Rock a bye baby
- Humpty Dumpty
- Baa baa black sheep
- Hickory dickory dock
- Mary had a little lamb
- Its raining its pouring
- Polly put the kettle on
- Row row row your boat
INDOOR ACTIVITIES
- Reading
- Singing
- Dancing
- Dress ups
- Play dough
- Hide & Seek
- Stacking cups
- Bubble blowing
- Board games
- Colouring in - download free sheets from Essential Baby
- Teddy Bear Picnic
- Musical instruments
- Stacking pots and pans
- Car rides inside boxes
- Sorting through toys, re-discovering old ones!
- Baking - jelly with frogs, ice biscuits, mini pizzas
- Make a cubby house -with blankets and cushions
- Playing with kitchen spoons, spatulas & plastic containers
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
- Sand play
- Gardening
- Visit parks
- Water play
- Ball Games
- Go for walks
- Visit libraries
- Treasure hunt
- Have a picnic
Want more activity ideas?
Visit the Essential Baby website to download free colouring in sheets plus a range of other fun play ideas to keep the kids entertained.
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