How to Make a Silly Face Craft with Toddlers

Before beginning the craft it is advisable to have a conversation with the children about facial features and parts of a face and discuss the ways in which faces differ from one another. Show them pictures or photographs of faces and have them look into hand-held mirrors at their own faces.

To prepare for this project an adult needs to cut images of facial features from a selection of magazines. Remember to include accessories such as eyeglasses and earrings to the selections to allow the children a variety of pictures to chose from and an opportunity to recognize some of the differences in people's faces. The project, as laid out here, is most suitable for toddlers but can be used with older preschool children by allowing them to cut out the images themselves.

This project can also be used to lead to a discussion about the roles of the sense organs and the different senses of sight, smell, taste and hearing associated with the face and facial features. It can be linked with songs about the senses or about the face as a whole.

• A number of round paper plates (various sizes are best)
• A selection of images cut out from glossy magazines of mouths, noses, eyes, glasses and so on
• Crayons or paint
• Child friendly paste
• Paste brushes
• Strips of wool or yarn

1. Lay the cut-outs from the magazines on the table and allow the children to have a look at them and to talk about the different facial features shown.
2. Allow each child to pick a plate that best suits them in size.
3. Give each child a paste brush and allow them access to the paste.
4. Let the children paste the various facial features on to the plates and to colour the areas of the plates that are cheeks and skin in crayon or paint.
5. The wool or yarn can then be attached to the head with the paste to act as hair. The strips should be cut to the child's specification as to their length.
6. When the paste dries the children have now created their own funny faces to keep and treasure.

There are a number of ways to change and adapt this activity. For older preschool children allow the child to cut out the pictures from the magazines themselves as well as cutting the wool. If the children are more dexterous or older, then the hair can be braided or arranged in bunches. Another alternative is to allow the children to make the faces of animals or to mix animal and human features to create really crazy faces.

If you wish the eyes can be cut out from the face that is created and some string attached to either side to create a mask from the face.

As an option when the faces are completed make a silly face bulletin board!

Most importantly allow the child to use their imaginations, and use your own, to create a silly face particular to each young artist!