There is something mesmerizing about a box or bag or bowl of buttons that stimulates the imagination. The sizes, the shapes, the colors, the weight, I don’t know just what it is that trips our triggers and calls us to touch them and want to use them but you’ll find your child is not immune.
Two of the great things about buttons is their availability and their versatility. Regardless of age, there is bound to be a project that simply invites a button or two to show up. Along with their intended function as a fastener, we can use them as decorations, or game pieces, or jewelry, or….
A fun button activity for a wide variety of ages comes from combining 2 items kids love… buttons and pipe cleaners!
BUTTON BEINGS!
You need:
- Buttons
- Pipe cleaners
- Permanent markers
- Craft glue
- Wiggly eyes
- Craft beads
What you do:
- Gather child/ren and materials
- Encourage imagination
- Thread buttons on pipe cleaners
- Mold pipe cleaners into interesting shapes; tails, wings, legs, antennae, arms, more (remember, pipe cleaners are easy to twist together. For added strength for heavy buttons twist two or more pipe cleaners together)
- After body is complete as desired add on a mouth with a marker and glue on as many eyes as your creature desires.
For more than 40 additional button craft projects head on over to ArtistsHelpingChildren.org where you’ll find a variety of ideas and instructions that take you beyond mere button stringing!
And if you haven’t yet accumulated a jarful of buttons, click on the image below and grab a big bag of buttons for cheap!