With families spending extra time at home this holiday season because of the coronavirus pandemic, our Specialized Services for Youth program has compiled a holiday guide with activities and recipes to help your family stay busy and connected. Crafts are a great way to practice fine motor skills, introduce new sensory experiences and encourage quiet, focused playtime.

Here are four low-stress crafts that will spark your children’s creativity using items you might already have around the house!

Paint the Snow

Materials

• Squirt or spray bottle

• Food coloring

• Water

Instructions

1. Pick out a squirt bottle (or spray bottle) to use and fill it with water.

2. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water and mix.

3. Go outside and spray or squirt the snow with the colored water to create a masterpiece!

Photo and activity from Sprouting Wild Ones.

Tie-dye snowflakes

Materials

• Coffee filters

• Washable markers

• Water

• Eye dropper or small measuring spoon

Instructions

1. Color and draw shapes on coffee filters with washable markers. The more marker used, the brighter the snowflakes will be!

2. Use an eye dropper or small measuring spoon to drip water onto the coffee filters. You want them wet, but not swimming in water.

3. Leave overnight to dry.

4. Once dry, fold the filter in half four times and cut out pieces to make a colorful snowflake!

Photo and activity from One Little Project.

Glitter Sensory Jar

Materials

• Jar or container with lid

• Glitter glue

• Glitter

• Warm tap water

• Spoon

• Super glue or Krazy glue

Instructions

1. Fill two thirds of your container with warm tap water.

2. Add glitter glue and mix contents with spoon. The more glue you add, the slower the contents will swirl and the longer they will take to settle.

3. Add glitter and mix contents with spoon.

4. Add more glitter glue and/or glitter if desired.

5. Fill the rest of the container with water and mix.

6. Use super glue or Krazy Glue to glue the lid to the jar or container. Apply glue around the inner rim of lid.

7. Wait for the glue to dry, then shake it up and enjoy!

TIP: Make a snow globe by attaching a figurine like a pine tree or snowman to the inside of the lid using Krazy glue or hot glue.

Photos and activity from Very Special Tales.

Homemade Slime

Materials

• Bowl and spoon

• Ziplock bag for storage

• 8-ounce bottle Elmer’s white school glue

• 1 tablespoon baking soda

• Contact saline solution

• Food coloring

• Optional: glitter, beads, scented oils

This recipe makes about 1 cup of slime.

Instructions

1. Empty glue bottle into bowl.

2. Add food coloring and mix until desired color is reached.

3. Mix in baking soda.

4. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of saline solution and mix until combined. Add 1/2 tablespoon more at a time if the slime is too sticky. The more saline solution you add, the thicker the slime will be.

5. Stir until the slime is too thick to stir, then knead with your hands. It will be sticky at first, but keep moving it with your hands until it is no longer sticky and the desired consistency is reached.

TIPS: Slime is best to play with on a placemat or plastic tablecloth. Store slime in a covered container or Ziploc bag.

Photos and activity from I Heart Naptime.