With the weather getting colder here in Australia, now is a great time for your kids to try some crafting with wool/yarn. Wool/yarn crafts are particularly good for developing fine motor skills, as well as learning basic knitting, weaving and wrapping skills. Plus they are a fun way to make some little dolls or critters for your kids to play with.
Here are some classic wool/yarn crafts for your kids to try, including finger knitting, pom pom making, God’s eye stick weaving, wool/yarn wrapping and string art.
Finger knitting for kids – an easy DIY tutorial from Magic Onions teaches kids how to finger knit in 4 easy steps, with links to some other fun finger knitting projects, including flowers, an octopus and a rug.
Pom pom bird craft from Molly Moo Crafts is a fun twist on the popular craft of pom pom making, where the eyes of the birds are cleverly incorporated into the pom poms. They are finished off with felt beaks and legs made from beads and buttons.
Yarn monsters from Zing zing tree make delightful, colourful little critters for your kids to make and play with – a perfect way to use up your wool/yarn stash!
Yarn wrapped bees from Housing a forest are simply recycled cardboard ovals wrapped with black and yellow wool/yarn with recycled paper wings. Add a craft stick to make cute bee puppets.
Yarn wrapped cardboard letters from Art Bar Blog are also made from recycled cardboard and wrapped with different shades and thicknesses of colourful wool/yarn. Kids could also add a pom pom for extra decoration.
Yarn wrapped hearts from The pinterested parent would be a great fine motor activity for preschoolers as they wrap pieces of wool/yarn around 2 painted cardboard hearts.
Yarn sticks from Babble dabble do is a perfect outdoor/indoor activity for winter – just go outside on a nature hunt for sticks of different shapes and sizes, then bring the sticks inside and wrap them with multi-coloured wool/yarn.
Craft stick yarn dolls from Happy hooligans are quick and easy to make and would be perfect for doll houses or pretend play. Wrap different coloured wool/yarn around craft sticks to make one of a kind dolls and add cute faces and buttons for decoration.
Yarn wrapped rock monsters from Easy peasy and fun is a fun twist on pet rocks. Using some clean, dry rocks, start with some silly woolly hair, then get wrapping! Add some silly facial expressions and your kids will have some silly rock monsters to play with!
Woven craft stick butterflies from The craft train uses the traditional God’s eye stick weaving technique with craft sticks and colourful wool/yarn to make pretty butterflies. Add some cotton pipe cleaners and small wooden beads for the body and antennae.
Nature weavings from Artzy creations is another activity where you can go on a nature hunt for some bigger sticks to make a weaving frame, then use different coloured wool/yarn to create a beautiful pattern.
String heart yarn cards from hello, Wonderful are handmade cards that encourage fine motor skills with some threading activity. They make beautiful, colourful cards with the added texture of the wool/yarn.
What do your kids like to make with wool/yarn?
We would love to see their woolly creations – simply post pics to Facebook or Instagram with #littlegreencrafters. 🙂
We have lots more fun wool/yarn projects on our Pinterest page here.
littlegreencrafts1.wordpress.com 