Teachers, parents, day care workers, youth group leaders, and anyone else who works with children should use printable crafts. Printable crafts are crafts that can be printed from the computer. The Internet is littered with websites that offer downloads of craft templates that are ideal for those who do not have a great deal of time to prepare fun crafts for kids.
Some websites offer printable crafts for free while others charge a fee for services. A person uses her mouse to click on the desired template and she may quickly download and print it. Sample printable crafts include puppets, paper dolls, coloring sheets, and a variety of other activities to keep kids busy at home, the classroom, the library, or any other place where children gather.
Before such websites, teachers and librarians often kept coloring sheets and craft ideas in metal filing cabinets, or stuffed in pocket or manila folders. With the Internet, it is no longer necessary to keep hard copies of craft activities. A teacher, librarian, or youth group leader only needs to file the printable crafts website in her favorite places online so she can refer to it whenever she needs to print out craft templates for her students. This system saves space and eliminates clutter in the classroom or office.
Two useful printable crafts websites are Enchantedlearning.com and thebestkidsbooksite.com. Enchantedlearning.com is a paid membership site that allows members to print craft templates based on a variety of themes. The site is especially useful for teachers since it provides school worksheets in addition to craft activities.
Thebestkidsbooksite.com is a free website where people can print craft ideas and templates based around children’s book themes. This site is a handy resource for children’s librarians since it includes craft templates, songs, and finger plays. It even suggests books to be used in conjunction with the crafts and activities.
Printable crafts are quick and simple to do. When a teacher or librarian has a short amount of time to devise an entertaining activity for children, these sites help him to quickly choose a craft. As long as he has a computer with Internet access, a printer, and white printer paper, he can quickly print out what she needs. He can then take the template to the copier and make copies for the children. Most printable crafts require only crayons, glue, and scissors.
Easy, entertaining, and quick, template crafts are the ideal solution for people who want to lead children in a craft project. A person who works with children should take the time to search out a variety of kids’ craft websites so that fun, simple crafts will always be at her fingertips.