Calming Activities: Recyclable Candy Art - Ages 3+

Do you have some old Halloween or Easter candy laying around? 

We decided to sit and concentrate on making fabulous art with our old Skittles and Starbursts.  Now, this is a tough one if your kids love to eat candy so if that's the case, I wouldn't choose this activity to calm them down!  These candies have a lot of red dyes in them and there is some controversy over the idea that red dyes can cause kids to become hyperactive...whether it's the sugar or the dyes we have pretty much stopped eating them in this household.

So, to put that stuff to good use some other way, I let them use them to make art!  Tip:  You may want to reward them with a healthier snack while they are doing this activity so they are not so tempted to eat the candy.  I laid out some graham crackers, milk and grapes for them to snack on instead.

Recyclables Rock

Saving items in your house is not only good for your environment, but good for you child. Stop throwing away things and get a big box just for special recyclables to give to your child. Of course, even after your child has used them, they are still recyclable, so nothing is lost!

Providing your child even a handful of mixed recyclables, such as plastic containers, caps, bubble wrap, etc. can be a joy to a child that just likes to create whatever…a thing-a-majig, or robot...or anything their creative mind can make.

So what are some good items to save:

• Yogurt/applesauce/fruit cups

• Plastic bottle and jar lids

• Cereal boxes (pre-cut shapes)

• Old Magazines (picture find)

• Magnets, Dentist offices are notorious for sending their business cards on magnets...save them!

• Twisty ties from bread bags, garbage bags

• Old shirts and buttons-don't even think about throwing out an old button down without first snipping off those buttons...

• Cardboard from packaging

• Packing peanuts

• Old candy or candy wrappers

Calming Activities: Activity Center - Ages 3+

Put together an Activity Center, an area for them to go and work on a new activity when they need to focus and settle down. You will need to refresh the items frequently so they don’t get bored. Place 2-3 things on the table that they can work on. Don’t over-do it as too many items will likely cause distraction.

Suggested items:

o Tactile items such as: Molding clay, Tin foil, Bendaroos or even those flexible garbage bag twisty ties

o Crayons and blank paper

o Small empty recyclable containers like yogurt, applesauce cups and markers so they can decorate them

o A bag of noodles and cardboard cutouts. Using old cereal boxes, pre-cut some different shapes, like a butterfly, a bug, a heart, a car, stars, etc. The child can color the noodles with marker and then glue them on the pre-cut cardboard. Then, if you have any old magnets laying around (say like the ones you get in the mail free from local dentist offices, pizza places…) glue them on the back and walla, they have made cute magnets to give to their friends or family

o Several large rocks and markers. They can decorate the rocks and give them away as paper weights or collect them for their special “rock garden” someplace in the house or outside

o A container of loose buttons and string. Kids love to string things on and make necklaces. This requires some concentration and definitely provides motivation to focus. Throw some fancy, cute buttons in there. The craft store sells buttons with all sorts of themes.

o Set out an old magazine and some scissors. Make a list of pictures your child can cut out. Again, you will have to review the magazine ahead of time and make the list. Children get excited to see how many pictures they can find.