Jelly Painting - Creative Activities for Baby
By: Jen Hart
Finding a suitable, safe and fun crafty activity for babies can be difficult. In an effort to build a sculpture out of dough it will inevitably end up being eaten and at best you may get a finger imprint. Crayons will be chewed up and spat out. Paint will probably end up everywhere but on the paper. Chalk will be broken into tiny bits.
Jelly painting is cheap, easy, non-toxic and fun for both parents and baby. To get started just make jelly as per instructions on the packet and let it set in a plastic bowl.
When you are ready to begin, find an area of flooring in your house that can be easily mopped clean, such as tiles or floor boards (do not attempt this on carpet).
Lay out a large sheet of paper and sticky tape the corners to the floor. Dress your baby in as little as possible as the jelly tends to get everywhere. Put the bowl of jelly next to the paper and scoop out a little onto the paper. Encourage your baby to use the jelly to draw lines and shapes on the paper and to explore the feel of the jelly in the bowl.
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Let your baby (and yourself) have fun and be creative. It doesn't matter if he/she eats a little bit of the jelly and be prepared to have a bath straight away as it can get very messy. If you want to be even more creative make 2 or 3 different colors of jelly and help your baby mix them together and make pictures with the different colors. Don't forget a camera!!
