Roll With the Punches

This idea comes from my friend Cara, who told me that she has a little one who loves playing with her scrapbooking tools.

If you need to entertain a little one for a while, this is an easy idea. Scrapbook and art supply stores sell craft punches for the purpose of punching shapes in various types of paper. If you already scrapbook, then you probably have one or two of these punching tools hanging around. You can provide your child, ages 4 and up, with a stack of different colored and patterned paper. Show your child how to position the paper and push down to punch the shape. After your child gets the hang of it, you can let her play nearby with your punch tools while you do some much needed housework - or reading, or playing, or scrapping...

If your little one is really careful, you can add her finished products to your own supplies or let her create her own little collage using her finished shapes.