Crafting with multiple ages

I do just crayons here too but for a different reason. I want them to learn arm/wrist/shoulder strength and putting enough effort into actually making a deliberate mark on the paper. Markers make it too easy and make them lazy.

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Originally Posted by torontokids

How does everyone craft with so many ages? I find I try and do a craft with the older children and the younger ones want to of course do it as well. I find it difficult as they all seem to need a lot of 1:1 to prevent ingestion of the art work, help gluing and cutting. Any tips to make this go smoothly?

Also, I would love simple craft ideas that have worked for you.

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I used to do art separately depending on age groups. The "old" group are the first to do it and I urge the little ones to watch, or to play while waiting for their turn. The little ones know they'll be doing art or craft too. The craft or art has to be age-appropriate unless you want to do it one-on-one.

I haven't had any problems with the markers because they are washable sot little hands and faces clean right up. I have a new baby here and he isn't even 10 months old yet. He coloured a couple times with the others in the past two weeks and only once did his soother fall out of his mouth and he took a big slug of marker but the look on his face was priceless, yuck! With little ones like that I keep the soother in their mouth when we are crafting.

I use my dining table with booster chairs and don't have any other table available. So children have to learn that there are two purposes for that space - meals and crafting - two totally separate things. So I make sure there are no food or sippy cups in sight when we craft and tell them from day one that we eat our food in our mouths but we don't put our crafts in our mouth. It's the same in the toyroom, we don't put our toys in our mouths. If you are diligent they learn and I don't have a big problem. There are always those overly oral kids that need constant reminding.

I agree with Playfelt about crayons as well, but we use markers, crayons, home-made finger paints, brushes with paint, I go through tons of glue, all kinds of mediums.