Ages: 3-5
Less than 30 minutes
Grownup needed
Who says monsters have to be scary? They can be adorably ugly and funny too! You can make your own clay using flour or start with ready-made materials. For young children, these monsters are not just for Halloween parties but are fun for play and crafting at any time.
Prepare blue clay, roll it into a ball, then flatten it.
Building on the previous step, pinch it into a cloud shape.
Create the monster's expression and legs. Roll two white circles for the monster's eyes and two small black-brown circles for the pupils. Of course, you can use googly eyes for a quicker option. For the legs, roll two yellow cylinders (not too long), and pink clay into ovals to stick on the yellow legs.
Make a hat for the little monster. Roll pink clay into a cone shape, and purple clay into a long strip. Wrap the purple strip around the base of the hat. Stick a small purple ball on top of the hat. You can add more decorations to make the hat prettier (I've added purple dots here).
Roll pink clay into an oval, flattening one end slightly to form the bottom of the monster's body.
Roll several small circles from pink clay. Stick them on top of the monster, keeping the gaps between the circles small to create thick hair.
Now make the pink monster's expression. Roll two white ovals for eyeballs, and small black circles for pupils. Stick the pupils on the white eyeballs - if you want the monster to look right, place both pupils on the right side of the eyes. For the mouth, roll yellow clay into a strip, fold it, trim any excess length, and stick it below the eyes.
Roll yellow clay into an oval and flatten it slightly.
Pinch it into a basic shape, overall like a rounded heart.
Create the yellow monster's expression. Roll white clay into circles for the monster's eyeballs, purple clay into small circles, flatten and stick them on the white eyeballs for pupils. Use white clay to make two tiny circles and stick them on the purple pupils for eye highlights. Roll pink clay into a long strip for the monster's big mouth.
Roll two thicker strips of yellow clay, cut to a suitable length and stick them on the monster's body, then twist the yellow clay to create hand shapes. For the monster's horns, roll yellow clay into strips, thicker at one end and thinner at the other. Stick the thin end on the monster's head and shape the thicker end into horn shapes.
Playing with clay has many benefits for children! It not only stimulates creativity and imagination but also enhances fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities. Actions like pinching, kneading, and pressing help develop hand muscles while providing sensory stimulation, promoting sensory development. Children learn to focus and be patient during the creation process, and completing their work boosts their confidence. During the activity, parents can guide children to make happy, sad, or angry little monsters, helping children understand emotions. Don't worry too much about the final quality of the child's work - the most important thing is to have fun together!