Summer Boost
Activity:
Paper Santa
There's no need to wait for Christmas Eve to see Santa Claus and his fluffy white beard. Help your child use paper, paint and cotton balls to create the jolly gift-giver. This paper plate craft is simple and adorable—the perfect holiday activity for kids eager for Christmas celebrations.
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What You Need:
- Paper plate
- Tempera paint
- Cotton balls
- White glue
- Red construction paper
- Googly eyes
- Pink pom
- Scissors
- Pencil
What You Do:
- Help your child pick a paint color to be Santa's face. If she just has the standard "rainbow" shades, encourage her to mix colors to make a skin tone shade.
- Have her paint the paper plate with this skin tone color.
- While the face dries, let her draw a triangular hat on red construction paper.
- Let her use scissors to cut out the hat.
- Have her glue the base of the hat to the top of the plate.
- Show your child how to use a pencil to make marks on the plate where Santa's eyes, nose and mouth should be.
- Let her glue the googly eyes on the paper plate.
- Have her glue a pink pom on the plate to represent Santa's nose.
- Help her use paint to add the mouth beneath the eyes and nose.
- Let her spread a thin layer of glue on the paper plate where she wants Santa's beard to go.
- Have her press cotton balls into this glue beard.
- If your child wants to create a mustache, help her add a cotton ball under Santa's nose.
- Don't forget Santa's eyebrows! Show your child how to gently pull apart one of the cotton balls. She can use glue to attach half of a cotton ball above each eye.
- Have her finish her adorable Santa Claus by gluing her last cotton ball on top of the festive holiday hat.
