Children love to play around and do a lot of art. If you give them some colored markers and pieces of paper, they will give you back a piece of their masterpiece. To level up and help them discover more about their art, teach them how to make custom action figures. They will not just see their work on paper, but they can hold it and play with it and share it with their friends.
Benefits That Your Child Can Get From Making Action Figures
Action figures are a nice addition to your child’s collection of toys. When you get to finish your first custom action figure, you’re sure to make more. Your children can also gain a lot from experience. Here are the benefits that your child can get from learning how to make custom action figures:
- Boosts Creativity – The child’s brain develops faster when you encourage them to do a lot of art activities. It helps enhances their imagination and creative part of their brain.
- Enhances Motor Skills – They use their hands while making arts and crafts. As you and your child work on the action figure, the muscles around their hands and fingers are being developed, increasing their fine motor and gross motor skills.
- Enhances Thinking Skills – Putting all the pieces together requires a lot of thinking for a young kid. Because of this, they get to develop and enhance their thinking skills while assembling the action figure.
- Teaches Them How To Be Patient – Creating a piece of art is not easy. It requires patience and a lot of hard work. When you teach your kids how to make custom action figures, they learn to be resourceful and patient. They also get to understand the value of hard work and teamwork.
- Strengthens The Bond Between The Child And The Parent – Children require parental supervision while learning how to make custom action figures. This activity enhances the bond and relationship between a child and a parent – you can talk about anything while working. Your child also gets to see you in action and learn from your work attitude.
Simple Materials In Learning How To Make Custom Action Figures
When you think of action figures, there are a lot of ready-made toys in the market where you can buy. Some toys require assembly so that the action figure will stand erect. But some pieces of this toy may be hazardous for kids. That is why learning how to make custom action figures is better than purchasing from the store.
Here are the different materials that you can use and how to make your child’s favorite action figure:
Clay
- Get a clay dough that is non-toxic and safe for your little one to use.
- Let them knead the clay and help them transform it into an action figure that they want.
- Find wires and stick them in the moving parts of the clay.
- Get a cardboard platform to let the clay action figure stand.
*You can also do the same process for the baked clay. But the downside of baked clay is they can break apart if they fall.*
Paper mache
- Get recyclable pieces of paper and rip them to tiny pieces.
- Mix them with water until the paper absorbed the water.
- Add glue or cornstarch to the mixture.
- Have a platform where the action figure will stand.
- Then help your child build the pieces of their action figure together.
- Once done, place the finished paper mache under the sun for 4hrs so that it will harden.
- Paint the dried paper mache to make it look colorful.
Cardboard
- Outline the different body parts of your kid’s favorite superhero using a pencil then a marker.
- Let your child color the parts to give it life.
- Cut the pieces carefully.
- Have some split pin fasteners and connect the arms and legs to the body.
Socks
- Let your child draw the face of their favorite character on the socks.
- Get different pieces of fabric and outline the clothes of the action figure.
- Assist your child in cutting the clothes.
- Fill the socks with cotton or shreds of fabric and seal the opening to prevent them from spilling.
- Sew the clothes on the socks so that they will stay there permanently.
Problems While Learning How To Make Custom Action Figures
Not all the time, children enjoy making their action figures. Learning how to make custom action figures with your child may be challenging. Here are some common problems that you might encounter:
- Some kids can’t wait for it to finish – Some kids are impatient when it comes to building things. They even throw out tantrums during the process.
- Mess – There will be a lot of mess during the process of making the action figures. Some children will make the mess purposely by smothering paint or markers all over the place.
- They might get destroyed easily – The action figures might get destroyed if they are not taking care of properly, especially if your child carries them around and drops it. (This goes for the clay action figure and paper mache.)
Conclusion
Learning how to make custom action figures with your child is a lot of fun. It requires teamwork and a lot of patience. The great thing about arts and crafts for children is it helps boost their creativity and thinking skills. It will teach them a lot of things like being patient and learning how to put pieces together. That is why encouraging children to do art at a very young age is good for their brain development and helps them become smart individuals as they grow up. Get more tips on toys.