This simple tutorial (*this is not a tutorial*) contains all the instructions you need to create beautiful (*ahem*) handmade Christmas cards (*there will be no cards*) with very young children. Unlike most guides, I have included detailed instructions showing exactly what the children should be doing at each stage. This will ensure that there is no confusion as to when the crayons should be chewed, or the pictures torn up, thus allowing you to achieve a perfect result every time.
What you need:
White cardboard for pictures
Additional white cardboard for mistakes
Coloured cardboard for cards
Crayons in appropriate colours for pictures
Pencil
Pens for writing messages
Scissors
Double sided tape (of course)
Shoes
Coats
Pushchair
Note: This project does not require any sanity, so please do not worry if you don't have any in the house.
What to do:
1. Draw some Christmas pictures (such as, Christmas trees, Father Christmas, snowmen, or reindeer) on to pieces of white card. The children will colour these, and you will then cut them out and attach them to your cards to make Christmas scenes, decorated by the children, for your loved ones to treasure.
2. Give the children the pictures with appropriately coloured crayons. At this point, The Toddler should have a tantrum because she wants the crayons she has not been given. Specifically, she wants to colour Father Christmas purple.
3. The Toddler will quickly stop her tantrum upon realising that she can still colour everything inappropriate colours using the crayon choices she has been given. She will set about colouring her tree with the yellow crayon that was intended for the star on top. She doesn't need it for the star. The star is brown. Because the tree trunk is pink.
4. The Baby should at this point start eating a crayon.
5. By now, The Toddler will have produced a beautiful piece of colouring. On the wrong side of the card. On the side that has the actual picture, there will be approximately two lines of colour.
6. The Baby should be colouring the table cloth red, having thrown her picture on the floor.
7. Resort to holding The Baby's hand and 'helping' her crayon.
8. Take the above step to its logical conclusion by putting The Baby down with some toys away from the art, before returning to 'helping' her crayon on your own.
9. Reach a new low as you scribble some blue on to Father Christmas' jacket and nose, having realised the one year old who has (not) coloured this picture probably wouldn't neatly colour Father Christmas' outfit in red.
10. The Toddler will have spent ten minutes carefully colouring her whole picture on white card using a white crayon. She will notice this has not been overly effective, and declare that the crayon is not working.
11. Attempt to hold The Toddler's hand and 'help' her crayon. The Toddler should at this juncture have a meltdown, throw the crayons, and tear up the picture.
12. Draw a new picture on a fresh piece of card.
13. Agree that The Toddler can colour only the wrong side. In white crayon.
14. Relent and allow The Baby to resume participation in the colouring.
15. The Baby should be very excited by her return, and demonstrate this by scrunching up her picture.
16. Return The Baby to the toys.
17. You should by now have one partially coloured yellow and pink Christmas tree; one reindeer coloured entirely in white; one snowman not coloured at all, but with a Jackson Pollock-esque masterpiece on the reverse; and one quite well coloured Father Christmas, scrunched into a little ball. It has gone very well.
18. Fold your pieces of coloured card in half to make your cards.
19. You will now need to cut out your pictures to start making the Christmas scenes.
20. The Toddler should refuse to relinquish the pictures. She has not finished. She is just colouring all of the pictures, top to bottom, in black crayon.
21. At this point, you will all need to put on shoes and coats. Put the children into their pushchair, and walk to your nearest card shop. Buy Christmas cards.
(*Well, a two and a half year old toddler, and a one and a third year old toddler, to be more accurate)
Read the original post, and the adventures of The Toddler and The Baby, atR is for Hoppit