I’m in birthday party mode these days. Two weeks ago I shared my collaborative banner idea, and today I am so happy to share this cute craft I did for a horse-loving six-year old. It’s really so simple and easy to prepare. The hardest part is cutting the cardboard (think: hand-strengthening exercise!). But I have a good trick for this part, too.
Are you ready to find out what you need to make this happen at home? Here we go…
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SUPPLY LIST:
~ Cardboard (an old box or two)
~ Dala horse template (I blew this up 125%)
~ Scissors or an Exacto knife
~ Cutting mat
~ Brushes
~ Pom-poms
~ Glue
SETTING UP FOR THE PARTY:
~ Pre-party: Download the template and cut out the horses. Using an exact knife and cutting mat makes it so much easier if you are doing many. But if are doing just a few you could get away with using a good pair of scissors.
~ Party day: Cover a table with newspaper. Put out the jars of paint, the pom-poms, and the glue. Lay a few horses around the table. And that’s it! I put one sample in the middle just because I know from experience that if the kids see something more abstract they are less likely to paint a smiley face or something more representational. I like pushing older kids to think more about color and shapes rather than realism. (In my art classes I never put out an example because we really don’t do crafts. If we did do something that was more purposeful, I am there to talk to them before-hand and I only have six kids, so I know that I can give them my attention. This party had 15 kids and there were 3 craft tables so I thought an example was the most efficient way to relay my message.)
~ Most of the girls wanted to make more than one. Luckily, I brought some extra! They spent an average of 15-20 minutes on one horse, just to give you an idea of timing. One way to spread out the craft would be to include more collage pieces like tissue paper circles and yarn.
~ Make sure to lay out some newspaper of the floor for drying. And one tip that I will share is bring some paper plates so that the kids can transport them home easier. Most likely the horses won’t be completely dry.
Even though I call this a craft, the thing I love about it is that it is open to interpretation. Each horse is unique. The shape is just the canvas, the rest is up to the child’s own expression.
You could do this craft using all sorts of different shapes, I have some butterfly templates, an owl template, and a few other animal templates here and here if you want to check them out.
Let me know if you try this, I would love to see your photos!
xo, Bar
I love this SO much!! I’m putting it with a collection of idea for craft projects around the world. I secretly hope this is one the kids pick to do!!
aww, thank you Robyn!! let me know if you did it, would love to see how they turned out! xo Bar
I had hoped to do this at my grand daughters party but when I click on the link for the horse template, an error occurs and says page no longer available. Can you put the template back on the site?
sorry Brenda, when I switched to the new blog I lost many of my printables. I just fixed it, thanks for letting me know! If you still have a problem I can email it to you. xx Bar
Thank you Barbara for the template. Looking forward to the party next weekend. All supplies ready and horses cut out thanks to my son in law!!
cute idea and work you did , i am planing to work on it with my kid
Thanks for this post.That’s exactly what I was looking for a creative activity around horses for children. It’s a craft that can appeal to young and old alike.
What type of tempra paint do you use? Do you mix your own?
hi Jenny, I use many different brands. I use Crayola for basics and white, Sax for pearlescent, Sargent for neon pink, and Versa and Chromatemp for unusual colors and because they are thick and opaque. Most of these I find on Amazon, but the Versa and Chromatemp I find at my local art supply store. Hope this helps! xx Bar
Such a beautiful idea. Planning to do this at my daughter’s sixth birthday. Can I also use acrlic paint?
hi Chris, yes you can use acrylic but just have kids wear smocks because it won’t come out of clothes. good luck! xx Bar
Amei sua ideia e fiz com a meus filhos eles amaram😍👏👏👏
Hello, I am looking for ideas to keep my son busy as schools are closing with the virus, and that’s a great one. I will propose it to my son from tomorrow. Thank you for sharing. XX from Poland
Did you need to wait for the paint to dry before putting pom poms on – I always find them hard to stick on. Double sided tape or glue spots work but not sure that could go on wet paint either
no you don’t have to wait, and you can use some white school glue!
I loved loved this! I made two today with my daughter and her friend. Making more tomorrow 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this.
so glad to hear you found this post and it worked for you! xx Bar
I did this, but with finger painting instead of brushes. Thanks!
Any chance you would be interested in creating a little part package for sale?! Would love to have this at my daughters party but just don’t have the time to create on my own!
Katie
hi Katie, I’m sure you’ve already had the party, I hope you were able to do something creative! ~ Bar