Have you ever crafted with felt before? If not, give it a try! Putting together a felt board is a fun way to get started.
Felt is a fuzzy textile made up of compressed fibers. Due to the texture, felt pieces can easily stick to one another without any glue. A felt board consists of one large piece of felt (the background of your image), and smaller shapes that make up the story, whether it's trees, and cows to create a landscape, or features to create a human face (print-outs for this face are available below).
What you'll need:
Help from an adult is required.
- Felt of your choice. Felt comes in different weights. Some can be soft, while others are stiff.
- Scissors (standard + fabric scissors)
- Cardboard
- Tracing paper, (optional)
- Stapler, or Craft Glue
- Washable Marker
Putting it all together:
1. Cover a piece of cardboard with a large piece of felt. Attach it to the board with a stapler or craft glue. If you're unable to find a large piece of felt to fit your board, you can collage small pieces together. Make a checkerboard or stripes.
2. Think about the story you would like to tell and cut out of your felt shapes. They can be abstract or representational. You can use tracing paper to trace shapes or animals from your favorite books or magazines. Use the tracing paper cut-outs as a template for felt shapes.
3. Keep going! When you have all the shapes you need stick them to your felt board and have fun. It's that simple!
Learning Through Play:
Felt boards encourage storytelling, creativity, and introduce children to new textures.
Incorporating portraiture into an activity is an efficient way to help children understand and express emotions.
Children can incorporate some of their favorite toys to enhance the fun. We used the PlanToys Makeup Set.
Click here for print-outs to make your own felt portrait.
Have fun & tag us to share your creations! #PlanToysActivities