What is the youngest age that you start doing crafts with?

[DaycareLady1]

Hi there,

I have a 15 month old boy in my care, and I'm not sure if I should bother doing crafts or not. My 3 year old loves them, but I'm not sure if a 15 month old would just put everything in his mouth or even have fun. What age do you start doing crafts with the children? Any suggestions on what to do with a 15 month old other than free play?

[Cadillac]

I started at 12 months. just make sure you are right there the whole time.

[crafty]

Yeah 12 here too. We do simple things and I make sure it's when I can stay with them the entire time. For the most part they love it but the interest fades quickly. I also prepare for a big mess and quick easy clean up.

[Momof4]

I don't have a minimum age requirement, but I have a maximum. No school agers thank you very much!

I start the children making crafts as soon as they join us, even if they are only 9-10 months old. They start to learn the textures and colouring and painting and playdo manipulation, glue with tissue paper or cotton balls on a piece of paper especially is pretty funny for them. But if they have a soother I pop that in their mouths for crafting time.

[monkeymama]

I do crafts with all kids. I usually moderate it a bit with the young ones ie. no scissors or glue but in general they usually like being a part of what the older ones are doing. If they have no interest or everything goes in the mouth, i get out the blocks and they play with those til others are finished. I always give them option tho.

[playfelt]

Crafts are for those that can sit at the child size table. If they are still in highchairs or have morning naps they are excluded. Normally it is closer to 18 months here. The crafts are an extension of our story and lesson of the day. Yes I can manage to include the little ones in what we are doing but it sometimes comes at the expense of the older ones in terms of how long they have to wait for their turn or in the complexity. There are other things the little ones need to learn like wrist, arm and shoulder strength that comes from moving around. Then they will be ready for craft materials.

Things like playdough, games with smaller pieces, feltboard, pocket chart same rules. In the mouth once a warning, twice and banned for a month. Grow up and more and try again.

Because we do the crafts and playdough and "big kid" things while the little ones are napping there really isn't a need to include them.

[apples and bananas]

I put all of the kids together, but I am always prepared for the little ones to loose interest first, then I can focus on the big ones and let the little ones free play.

[giraffe]

For me it totally depends on the craft and the childs interest level.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I only do 'crafts' when it is a seasonal celebration and we need a product orientated gift for the parents ~ outside of that I just do open ended art and sometimes we do 'guided representations' where I will say 'wonder if we could use these materials to build a robot' or what not.

I offer that group age appropriate mediums to explore for sure ... so for infants as soon as they are 'sitting' in a high chair with head and arm control they start being offered creative art mediums ... they love to finger paint and move it around and even things like putting down a piece of sticky tack on their highchair and adding some pom poms or cotton balls or whatever in a bowl on their tray and let them explore putting the pom pom on and trying to get it off! Heck some days the babe has explored a piece of 'tape' while all the older ones were actually using tape to create an art project or collage ... there is often nothing to 'send home' because for the babies it is about the process of the creation and sometimes we create as a 'group' on a large piece of paper on the table and it hangs in the playroom as decor and than I either draw a name to send it home with or toss it out if they have truly lost interest in it!