Gift mom with this no-sew kid-created purse this Mother’s Day! Not only can your toddler or preschooler craft her way to the perfect present, but this art activity can help her to build developmental skills that she’ll use right now and in the years to come.
No-Sew Kids’ Craft
Your little artist can design and create a heart-felt gift for mom, grandma or even great-grandma. Your child can plan out the style, shape and colors for the purse.
Why go with a no-sew activity? It gives your kiddo the chance to explore the fine motor parts of sewing, without using a sharp needle. You still need to supervise this craft but can feel comfortable with this type of ‘sewing’.
Learning and Development Objectives
- Build fine motor skills — eye-hand coordination and dexterity
- Recognize and identify colors
- Recognize and identify shapes
- Develop socio-emotional skills – giving gifts to other people, recognizing what mom does, expressing love and appreciation
- Sensory exploration – textures
Craft Materials
- 8×10-inch or larger craft felt in at least two different colors
- Construction paper
- Crayons, colored pencils or markers
- Scissors
- Yarn
- Clear-drying school glue
- A hole punch
How-To Art Activity Steps
- Design the purse. Give your child the paper and crayons, pencils or markers. Ask her to imagine what the purse will look like, and draw it. Explain that she’ll use this to create the purse, like an architect uses a blueprint to design a building. Talk to your child about the shapes and colors she chooses, asking her to name them as she draws.
- Fold one of the craft sheets in half. Position it vertically, and fold the felt from bottom to top.
- Draw the main purse shape on the felt. Your child can leave it as is to create a rectangle, draw straight vertical lines to make a square, make curved marks to design a circle or draw out a heart shape. She only needs to draw the shape on the front.
- Cut the shape out, making sure that the bottom of the felt, where the fold is, stays together.
- Punch holes along the sides of the shape. The bottom should still be together and the top needs to remain open.
- Sew the purse together. Cut two pieces of yarn. Thread one piece through the bottom set of holes on each side of the felt shape. Help your child to tie the yarn, anchoring it at the bottom holes. ‘Sew’ the yarn through the holes. When your child gets to the top she can leave some of the yarn loose to make handles or tie it tightly to create a clutch.
- Cut smaller shapes from the other color or colors of felt. Your child can glue them onto the outside of the purse. Another option is to draw and cut out the letters M-O-M. Make or buy letter bubble letter stencils for your child to trace. If that seems like too much for your young child, try the first letter of mom’s name or “M.”
Other Artsy Options
Craft a Christmas purse with trees or a Santa face on the outside, make one for Valentine’s Day with hearts, design a mini Halloween treat bag or make dad a no-sew felt wallet for Father’s Day. Your child can also make her own no-sew purse that she uses for dress-up playtime.
Are you looking for more artsy activities? Check out these ideas for your toddler or preschooler!
Finger Paint Flower Art Activity
Twinkle Twinkle Potato Stamp Art

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