DIY Funny Faces

Randi from Swoon, is with us today to share this fun activity, which nurtures fine motor development, imagination, and fun!

Hello, it’s Randi from Swoon here! I’m always looking for fun and unique activities for my girls to do during the day. This activity has been a recent favorite of the whole family. Children and babies are naturally drawn to faces, especially ones they recognize. My girls love looking in the mirror and at pictures of themselves. This activity promotes self-awareness, fine motor skills, and dramatic play. Plus it’s just fun to draw on faces! You could also use these to teach young babies the parts of the face and how to match names with familiar faces.

Here’s what you need to create this activity:

• close up photos of your children and other familiar faces
• printer/paper
• laminator/laminate sheets
• dry erase markers
• paper towels

I wanted my pictures to be nice and big, so I took my digital photos to Kinkos and had them printed on the black and white copier on 11″x17″ copy paper (only $0.20 each!). If you’re happy with letter sized photos, you can print them at home with your regular printer and paper. Laminate each sheet using a laminator. If you don’t have one at home, they are available for use at Kinkos and similar stores (prices range from about $1 for letter sized sheets to about $4 for 11″x17″ sheets).

Set the photos, dry erase markers, and paper towels (for erasing) out, and let your kids go crazy! Mine were laughing up a storm as they transformed each face again and again. My oldest was concerned with getting the colors “right” at first, but soon saw the fun in using her imagination. They especially love drawing on their own faces. For easy access, keep the markers and a few paper towels in a sandwich bag clipped to the photos with your other art activities!