This easy Fourth of July craft is perfect for little hands that aren’t quite ready for more elaborate crafting, and it’s also an awesome occupational therapy activity! It’s easily modified for sensory-sensitive kiddos who don’t like to get their hands dirty — just use “dot” markers or Q-tips!
Boston Moms contributor Chelsey Weaver and her 3-year-old daughter had a fantastic time making this beautiful art!
Supplies needed:
- White cardstock paper
- Blue and red washable paint
- Three star cutouts (cut your own, or use this star printout PDF)
- Colored tape or black marker (only necessary if you use your own stars!)
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
Steps:
Before you begin, open the star cutout printable document. Print and cut out the stars — be sure to leave the black border, as it will help your kiddo see where the stars are placed on the paper! If you do not have a printer available, cut out three stars — use colored tape or a black marker on the edges of the stars (again, this will allow your child to see where the stars are placed on the paper).
Use the scotch tape on the backs of the three stars to gently tape them to the white cardstock paper (you want the stars taped lightly enough that they won’t make holes when you remove them from the cardstock.
Prep the paint, and invite your little one to come participate. Sometimes we use a paint shirt and put plastic wrap or newspaper on our painting space to keep things as clean as possible.
Show your child how to dip one finger into the paint, and outline the stars with fingerprint dots. We offered one paint color at a time, otherwise we would’ve had a purple craft!
Once the stars are successfully traced and dotted, allow your child to put dots on the rest of the white paper. Feel free to add glitter, glitter glue, or sequins!
Clean up those paint-covered hands — a favorite trick of Chelsey’s is to put a bowl of soapy water out for her kiddo to “play in” while she washes her own hands and cleans up the other supplies.
Remove the stars that are taped to the paper. Make sure you remove them before the paint dries, otherwise they’ll stick!
Hang up your beautiful art!
Boston Moms would love to hear your ideas! How do you plan to celebrate the 4th of July with your family? Tell us in the comments!
