Preschool Christmas Craft Fluffy Santa Claus

Supplies:
Santa coloring page
Crayons or paint
White Glue
Cotton Balls
Paper Plate

For the coloring page, go to http://images.Google.com or http://bing.com/images and do an image search for "Santa Claus coloring page" and print the one you like. Try to look for an image with a large beard area. Let the child color or paint everything but the beard. White glue doesn't always stick to crayon.

For smaller children, eighteen months to about two years old, smear the glue around the beard for them. If they like getting messy, you can let them use their fingers or a paint brush to spread the glue around. Be sure to wash and dry their hands or the cotton will stick to them and not Santa's beard. For older kids you can squeeze some glue onto a paper plate and let them dip the cotton into the glue.

You can use the cotton balls right from the bag or tear them up. The kids can help tear them up too. I like to tear them up because it gives Santa's beard a little more dimension and a smoother appearance. If your child wants to keep them whole, that's fine too. If you are buying cotton balls specifically for this project, cheaper cotton balls actually work better because they are looser and tend to be smaller.

If your child gets frustrated with getting the glue side down, you can spread the glue on the beard for him or her. Try to use this as a learning process and teach your small children how to manipulate the cotton in their hands to get the glue side down to the paper. Most kids I've worked with will put the dry side of the cotton onto the paper because the don't realize what is actually making it stick.

Let dry for an hour and proudly display on the fridge, wall, or other special place. Don't forget to have your child sign it as best they can and you to write the date on it.

This craft helps your child learn about object manipulation when figuring out how to dip the cotton ball into the glue and get it on the paper glue side down. It also builds creativity and helps develop fine motor skills.