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Let’s get creative today and make homemade wrapping paper! Ditch the brushes and let’s experiment with cookie cutters instead — fun! This is another fun and simple addition to our Homemade Fun Series.  Depending on your child’s ability they can do it all or just push the cut-outs down.  Today’s activity helps your child practice color recognition, sequencing, animal sounds, and counting.  Plus, who wouldn’t love homemade wrapping paper — right?

Materials Needed:

• Animal Pals Cookie Cutters
• Melissa & Doug Washable Paint Set
• Large Butcher Paper {we used Melissa & Doug Easel Paper Roll}
• Paper plates
• Masking tape
• Glitter

What’s Next:

1.  Tape down the corners of your paper.  

2.  Add the paint to the paper plates.  Ask your child to pick the colors {color recognition lesson —yay}, which plate to use, and depending on your child’s ability, squeeze the paint.

3.  Now you’re all set to paint! Just dip each cookie cutter a go! C and I discussed color patters, animal sounds, and habitats.  Little C kept saying, “An octopus has 1, 2, 3, 4 wait, they have 8 legs mommy!” We had to use our 3D imagination on that one!

4.  Next, add glitter to make it pop! We chose to add the sparkle to the white giraffes and a few crabs.

5.  Shake, shake! Sparkle, sparkle! Who doesn’t love glitter?!?! Wall-a, a beautiful piece of wrapping paper or art! C wanted one for his room too, so we made two.  Cool, unique, inexpensive wrapping paper — fun! For more cookie cutter making fun, check out Scented Play Clay.

Things I learned along the way:

• Use a lower table and have your child stand over the project — more control, less smearing, more independent for your child to explore painting.  Plus, it’s fun to make a mess! I pulled each plate to him, he dipped, and pushed.  A lower table will allow them to work independently.
• Thin the paint slightly {our blue crab above is globby} and you use more.  The Melissa & Doug Washable Paint is thick, that’s why I love it, but for this definitely thin it.

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