The winter blahs are here. Which means that the kids are bored and complaining, the weather is too cold to venture outside of the house, and moms are going stir crazy. It’s time to break out the winter crafts and give your kids’ idle hands something new to do that is not only fun but also helps those little ones work on their fine motor skills.

Supplies

• Colored construction paper
• Markers, crayons, paint and paint brushes
• Cookie cutters in different sizes and shapes

Create

Using the markers or crayons encourage your kids to trace around the outside or inside of the cookie cutters, going slowly to get every bump and line in the shape. After the shape has been traced, color them in.

For younger kids that have trouble tracing, help them hold down the cookie cutters and let them paint inside. Help them get all of the corners covered in paint. When you pick up the cookie cutter they will be amazed to see what they created.

For older children have them create a story with cookie cutters. Perhaps a family of gingerbread men are playing at the park. Or create an ocean that is filled with star(fish) on a walk. Have your kids tell you the story after they’ve created it.