Paper, crayons, stickers. Keep it simple, OP.

By now crayons, soon stickers. I never did things like finger paint in my house, but we do crafts all the time. Once they got older I did color wonder paints and water colors.

Now, you can try some of the Alex Tots crafts boxes. There are some that are labeled 18months and up that would be perfect, and then you can get idea of what your child likes and get more stuff at Michaels or AC Moore.

I've never been a fan of crafts. We do origami, cutting and pasting, coloring, that's it.

Depends on the craft. If it has more than 2 steps, then it's too much for those under 2 and a mess for you. About 2, their motor skills has gotten so much better, and you can start doing simple crafts. I would start with fingerpainting and simple brush. Start with one paint, not multiples or you will end up cleaning a lot of mess. They can do simple stuff like put glue onto something and stick it to a drawing.
And do things with playdough. Use plastic knife to cut, use lids to make a shape.

Painting with little ones is really fun. Just put a few colors out on a paper platrail and let him go to town on some large paper. The mess will not be that bad and wI'll definitely be worth it.

ice cube trays for paint! why didnt i think of that

We started painting around 15 months, Its messy but the key is to be prepared, baby wipes are great for cleaning up washable paint.
I also would paint on bath days.
I would fill the bath up with a water warmer than normal, paint for 10-15 mins, then literally carry her ( without her hands touching anything) in to the bathroom.
She had a 'paint' shirt on and no other shirt so it was easy.

I started with crayons before the age of 2 and finger paints in the high chair (but they might think it's edible). I keep all messy craft items out of reach and only put the paints, glues, markers, etc out when I'm able to supervise. Only give a little paint and water so they can't get too out of control. Make sure all markers are washable. You'd be surprised at how many you receive as gifts that are not. Teach them to clean up too.

We love crafts. We fingered painted around 2, maybe a bit younger. (I have a piece of fingerprint art in my officer as we speak.

You just need to be prepared. Washable paints, and smock and plenty of newspaper. I lay down newspaper then put down the blank paper and I used an ice cube tray for the paints. You put the colors on one side and water on the other to rinse the brushes when you start using them. I also found sponges were better when he was really young.

We also did, glue and glitter (not messy if you put down the newspaper). We did the Alex Toys sets like this when he was about 3 (http://smile.amazon.com/ALEX%C2%AE-Toys-Early-Learning--Little/dp/B001UH50MU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421429382&sr=8-1&keywords=bug+crafts&pebp=1421429383965&peasin=B001UH50MU).

DS also liked gluing things on paper. We also used this which we purchased for 6 or 7 bucks from CVS (http://smile.amazon.com/ArtSkills-Activity-Bucket-400-pieces/dp/B00L73Z4V4/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1421429465&sr=8-10&keywords=craft+bucket) It has a lot of great little things to do.

We love crafts. My best friend hates them and never does them at home. I think it has a lot to with the parents. If you don't like crafts you don't have to do them. I don't think BFFs kids are any worse off for not having done crafts at home.

You could also bake with him when he's a bit older. That is great may suit you better than crafting.

Dedicate a small area in the common room just for him - low preschool art table, small chairs, cheap target rug underneath that you don't care about. Let him do whatever he wants so long as he stays at the table. Then make sure you clean him well before turning him loose on the rest of your apartment.

Anonymous wrote:DS is 18 months. I don't want to mess up my house and have a huge mess to clean up if he is too young for finger-paints, homemade play dough, etc.

What is the right age to start introducing crafts? We live in an apartment and don't (obviously) have a backyard or basement devoted to the baby.

beware, the messes are coming. You might be surprised at how much fun you have letting your kid make a mess. Try painting in the tub.

You should be fine with playdoh - it's not too messy.

My 13 month old found her brother's crayons yesterday and was sitting there scribbling on a coloring book he had left out - that didn't end up messy.

How about shaving cream on the walls of the bathtub? Easy to clean up.

Post its to stick on walls or windows.

Chalk on an easel (no room for an easel, check out pinterest, you can probably paint something with chalkboard paint to hang on the wall).

Paint or colored hair gel in a ziploc bag to squish around.

It all depends what you mean by crafts. Our DS enjoyed putting bits of tape and stickers on paper and drawing with crayons. Fingerpaint is generally non-staining (although the Crayola red doesn't come out of white clothes 100% in my experience)--if you have a high chair with a tray, you can put a sheet of paper with fingerpaint in the tray. Chocolate pudding also makes a good "fingerpaint." The simplest homemade playdough is just flour, salt, and water, so nothing too messy.

Wait until the child learns at school. Crafts are a mess.

DS is 18 months. I don't want to mess up my house and have a huge mess to clean up if he is too young for finger-paints, homemade play dough, etc.

What is the right age to start introducing crafts? We live in an apartment and don't (obviously) have a backyard or basement devoted to the baby.