My Face Collage
Updated: Oct 12
Today your child makes a portrait, but not with crayons. They'll hunt through old magazines for eyes, noses, mouths and hair, then glue them onto a paper plate to make a face. The results are usually hilarious, and that's the point.
What you need
A paper plate
Old magazines, catalogs or grocery flyers with lots of faces in them
How to make it
Go face hunting. Flip through the magazines together. Ask, "Can you find an eye? Now can you find another one?"
Cut them out. Grown-ups can cut the tricky parts. Let your child try cutting around the bigger pieces, like a mouth or a whole face. Rough edges are fine!
Glue them on. Your child places the eyes, nose and mouth on the plate. Upside-down mouths and eyes on the chin are allowed.
Add hair. Glue on yarn, or color it in with crayons. What color is your hair?
Name the face. Is it a self-portrait? A silly monster? A new friend? Ask them to tell you about it.
About the scissors
Scissors need a grown-up nearby, every time. Use child-safe scissors with a rounded tip, sit next to your child, and put the scissors away when the cutting part is done.
That said, scissor practice is worth it. Opening and closing scissors builds the small muscles in the hand that kids need for holding a pencil, buttoning a coat and using a fork. It also takes both hands working together, one holding the paper and one cutting, which is a big skill for this age. Most 2-year-olds are just learning to snip, and that's perfect. Start with short snips on thin strips of paper, and let them build up from there.
Why we love it
Toddlers are just figuring out where their features go and what makes their face their face. Hunting for eyes and noses in a magazine gets them looking closely at faces. Putting them together helps them understand how a face is arranged, even when they choose to mix it all up.
A quick safety note: Stay close while scissors are out, and keep glue sticks (not liquid glue) for the youngest crafters.
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More for this week: see all our All About Me activities, Letter A activities and Number 1 activities.
Every child is different. Please use your own judgment about what's safe and right for your family. Always supervise children during activities and while eating, and adjust foods for allergies, dietary needs and your child's age and chewing ability. Sprocket & Sprout shares these ideas for fun and learning only. We are not responsible for any injury, allergic reaction, damage or mess that may result from trying them. This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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