Child-led play

[helendee]

Do any of you have ideas about activities and crafts for 18 months to 2 year olds that could be child-led?
My daughter is a senior nursery nurse and says that the things that I do with the los are too adult-led, but what can you do with children of this age, all they do is scribble! Aaaaghhhhh!! x:(

[Helen79]

I'm the opposite to you and don't do enough adult led craft activities. I find it stressful trying to get them to make specific things like easter bunnies or xmas decorations as I'm not very crafty myself.

My mindees are under 2 so I just let them paint with brushes, fingers, sponges, do sticking or printing with stamps and most of the time they do just scribble with crayons but they have fun and eventually they'll progress onto making proper things.
I squirt a few blobs of paint onto a tray and let them explore and make marks with their fingers then lay paper on the top to take a print.

At the moment they're loving the aquadraw, they don't have any art work to take home with them this week but they've enjoyed playing with it. I've taken photos of anything they've drawn on it for their learning journals.

[helendee]

Thanks for the reply Helen, those sound like great ideas. I don't do much adult-led craft with them as I am rubbish at it and my attempts look worse than theirs!! Lol.
Thinking of buying an aqua draw, are they worth the money?

Helen x

[mrsoliver]

They don't scribble - they are trying out mark making! All they need a variety of materials - diffferent papers, pencils, pens, crayons, paints, glue, collage materials.

The process is really important, the product less so. Sometimes just painting on the newspaper is fine, or painting outside with water.

Look through the EYFS for ideas.

[RachelE]

We love our aquadraw. Its great for the little ones - no mess and they can make marks.

For the older ones its great for letter/number/shape/ recognition and they can practise too.

Mindee 17 months doesnt do a great deal of arty stuff either - a little bit of mark making with crayons and plays with playdough for a short while - with photo evidence! ;)

Rachel x

[helendee]

Well it's mark-making at the moment but who knows what it will be called when Ofsted decide to move the goalposts again? lol. It will always be scribbling to me!!:laughing:

[angiemog]

Well it's mark-making at the moment but who knows what it will be called when Ofsted decide to move the goalposts again? lol. It will always be scribbling to me!!:laughing:

Talking about Ofsted phrases......
I was at a Sure Start group a parent told her child not to move the water about. The worker says 'oh yes he can it 's called transporting' the parent replied, 'well I call it making a mess' always makes me smile when I think about it. x

[Ripeberry]

My two yr old mindee likes Aquadraw, the only problem with it is that mindee likes to suck the water out of the pens :rolleyes:

[grindal]

My little ones like to do sticking. Less messy than paints :blush:

I keep a box of pics cut out of comics, magazines etc. Sometimes we stick pics with a bit of a theme - like cut up christmas cards or peppa pig pics from old comics. Other times we just stick! My 15 month old just puts picture on top of picture, and the 18 month old cannot quite work out the sequence required to glue on the back of the picture and turn it over so the picture is at the front!

[sweets]

its the 'schema' one that makes me laugh :laughing:

its a PHASE! lol

[manjay]

Don't you think it is a bit of a contradiction that you are asking for ideas for child led play:rolleyes: Surely the whole idea is the child decides;)

I do very little adult led craft. It's a pet hate of mine to see children coming out with the same end product because that is what the practitioner thinks it should look like. I have a whole range of craft materials that the children can either get themsleves or I will put on the small table and then it is up to them what they do. I agree with Mrsoliver that it is all about the process and not the end product. I believe it is up to us as practitioners to provide the provocation and then to support the child in developing thier own ideas. But saying that I don't have a problem with them making a mess and there is nothing in my kitchen that could be damaged by the odd splash of paint:thumbsup:

[tulip0803]

Don't you think it is a bit of a contradiction that you are asking for ideas for child led play:rolleyes: Surely the whole idea is the child decides;)

I do very little adult led craft. It's a pet hate of mine to see children coming out with the same end product because that is what the practitioner thinks it should look like. I have a whole range of craft materials that the children can either get themsleves or I will put on the small table and then it is up to them what they do. I agree with Mrsoliver that it is all about the process and not the end product. I believe it is up to us as practitioners to provide the provocation and then to support the child in developing thier own ideas. But saying that I don't have a problem with them making a mess and there is nothing in my kitchen that could be damaged by the odd splash of paint:thumbsup:

As above. All my craft stuff is in a plastic 3 drawer storage thingy and the children can access it when they want - even the smallies.

DH is a bit worried about the child led activities since DD made a lovely creation over Christmas the basis of which was a tissue box, some toilet paper and 2 of his old beer cans;) . She gathered it all and made it while I was cooking dinner so I didn't see it until it was finished:D . She is 7 though

[mrsoliver]

Well it's mark-making at the moment but who knows what it will be called when Ofsted decide to move the goalposts again? lol. It will always be scribbling to me!!:laughing:

Ofsted don't move goalposts - they inspect against the current framework.

Do you call babies saying "dada" talking nonsense, or do you celebrate their first words?

[helendee]

Ofsted don't move goalposts - they inspect against the current framework.

Do you call babies saying "dada" talking nonsense, or do you celebrate their first words?

Sorry but I don't see what you are getting at here. What does that have to do with my request for craft ideas suitable for little ones? Children have managed to grow up and thrive for hundreds of thousands of years without the 'help' from Ofsted and their current terminology.

[candy cat]

hellendee was only asking for some tips .....she didn't ask to be patronised!.....'making marks' 'scribble' is all the same to me........I only heard my partner telling my daughter he didn't appreciate her 'scribbling' on the wall.....better tell him Ofsted won't approve!:rolleyes:

-Why don't you let them 'makes marks' on card paper then draw a shape and laminate.
-Finger painting is great
-drawing around hands feet
-cuuting out from catologues and sticking
-collecting items on walks....make a picture
-straw painting
all nice and messy!

[helendee]

Thanks Tabitha for the support and ideas. xxx :)

[candy cat]

your welcome!:thumbsup:

[Rubybubbles]

my 21 month old loves anything in the tuff spot, he is regular spotted moving shredded paper from the tray to the table where he will get the glue sticks and start creating! I just don't have it out when hubby home:laughing:

I have a 3 drawer tray full of materials, but will set some on the table ready for any explosions of creative moments:laughing:

junk modeling is another, although I am useful for getting selotape so it seems;) tin foil/paper/cardboard/twigs/leaves ect ect

[karensmart4]

We let all the children have free reign over the crayons and paper, some make a few marks some try to eat the crayons.

All of them love to glue, I just put out an assortment of shiney, nice bits and bobs, some paper or card and some glue. The lil ones love to watch the glue running off the brush or spreader, then they might put some bits on the glue, they might even leave them there but half the time they take them off again and take home a glued blank sheet of paper :laughing:

All of the children with no exception love playing with water, I bought a builders tray (£16 from Tool Station, I can't afford a tuff spot) and I put a very shallow amount of water in there and a bit of lavender bubble bath and let the lil ones splash for all their might.... bril :thumbsup:

I take lots of photo's for a display in my hallway, for their LJ's and for their daily diaries :D

You don't need an end product, just let them have fun :thumbsup: :thumbsup: