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The best easy crafts for one year olds take into account their unique stage of development. One year olds have just discovered that they have little legs which will take them wherever they want to go - and sometimes that's not where Mommy wants! Making handprints with paint is just messy enough to be fun - but needs close supervision as toddlers are very active.

They are eager to discover all the exciteement and new experiences that their new mode of transport opens up for them - but at heart, and in some ways, they are still babies who are vulnerable to the dangers of the new expereriences of roads, kitchen cupboard contents, and stairs!

Essentially, some one-year-olds might be considered 'babies on legs!' Easy crafts therefore need to consist of safe, non-toxic materials which are bright, stimulating, fun and easy to use. The activities need to be carefully supervised and monitored too so that Mommy doesn't end up with a baby who had paint or play-doh for breakfast!

A great easy craft activity for Mommy and older Baby or one year old is making Handprints - or Footprints. These are easy to craft, bright and fun to look at, and fun to do. One-year-olds and older toddlers go through a critical sage of educational development which, according to well-known educationalist Jean Piaget, involves the freedom to enjoy the tactile smearing and manipulating of artistic media.

Many experts agree that this drive in one-year-olds should not be discouraged or 'controlled-out' as this could result in toddlers not 'acting out' this need but repressing it. Toddler paints are great for one-year-olds to express this need, and great for Mommy - as poster paint in the right place is better than mud, mashed potato or orange juice smeared on her newly painted walls or brand new wool carpet!

Hand Printing Crafts

Sticky poster paint that is sold in squeezy bottles is best for this. You will also need some large sheets of stiff card for the final results. Both of these educational resources can be easily and more cheaply obtained from discount sources such as bulk school suppliers which can be found online. In addition, it is fun to have some cheap paper, such as newspaper, on hand for lots of fun 'practice runs' across the floor in the case of Sticky Footprints.

Have ready some bowls of warm soapy water too, some towels, kleenex, aprons or cut-down old shirts and a camera! Choose an area which is large and open enough for one year olds to move around in without being cramped. Children at

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