After I started working hard to make my home feel more welcoming, I realized that there were a few issues with the way that I was crafting. I was spending more on the supplies to make the crafts than I would spend if I actually purchased the completed crafts myself, so I decided to take another look at the way I was doing things. I decided to start bargain hunting through the bins at the local craft store, and within a few weeks, my spending slowed significantly. This blog is all about spending less money on crafting and knowing how to get a bang for your buck.
Spending Less On Crafting
Stuffed Toys Teach Children About Living Creatures
Leona Armstrong
Young children love to play with and care for stuffed toys. Stuffed toys are soft and huggable and teach young children about the many different creatures that live on Earth. Here are some things to consider when giving a young child under 5-years-old a stuffed toy:
Stuffed Toy Nurturing: A stuffed toy can be a child's first opportunity to care for a toy that resembles a living creature. A young child can be taught to care for a stuffed animal and to treat them with gentle hugs and careful touches. This can prepare a young child to have empathy for actual living creatures. Having a stuffed toy can teach a child that they are in control and capable of taking care of small pets. This is good preparation for becoming acquainted with the many types of actual animals, birds, and even insects that inhabit the Earth.
Stuffed Toy Shelf: A child can be taught to put their stuffed toys in a specific place when they are not playing or sleeping with them. Putting their stuffed toys in a specific place is a good way for a child to learn to take care of future pets such as a dog, cat, or bird. As an additional lesson, you can teach a child to make sure that their stuffed toy is sitting up and comfortable when putting their stuffed toy on the toy shelf.
Stuffed Toy Care: When you give a child a stuffed toy, ask your child to give the toy a name so that the toy can become their pet or a trusted friend. This personification will teach the child about the many different personalities that pets can have. This is great preparation for getting a puppy or a kitty when they are old enough to understand the difference between toys and real life creatures. Also, when you wash or care for your child's stuffed toy, talk to your child about the need to keep their pet clean and healthy. After washing, ask your child to brush the stuffed toy's coat to include your child in the actual care of their stuffed toy.
Stuffed Toy Choices: When giving a child a stuffed toy, look for stuffed toys that are mentioned in a child's books so they can relate to them and think about their stuffed toy's personality. Also, for children younger than 3 years old, only select stuffed toys that have short hair that is not easily pulled out. Look for stuffed animals that have features that are sewn on and do not have small beaded eyes, buttons, or decorations that can be torn off, chewed, and swallowed.
When you choose many different stuffed toys you are opening a child's eyes to the diversity in the world and the responsibility we have to take care of the many creatures that we live with on Earth.
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