Simple craft ideas needed by a fumble fingered nana

Playdough (as mentioned on other thread) - any old lumpy piece of playdough can resemble a dinosaur or cake

Puppets with holes already cut for sewing (could need some help at 3, DGD managed to make two of them when she was 5) - but then you could have a puppet show! The puppets pop up from behind the sofa and have silly voices

Pavement chalks - if you have a patio or path and they wash away

Painting with poster paints (plastic cloth on the table or perhaps an easel from a charity shop outside?)

Floor puzzles

Watch Mr Maker on the tv (is he still on?) for ideas, however, he does make it look simple and some things may be too complicated for a 3 year old
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/mister-maker

I am the type of granny who managed to get glue up her arms, paint in her hair etc. so pinnies for both are essential.

Potato stamps

Threading dried macaroni on string to make a necklace. I think it can be painted with poster paint if you want.

Probably best done outdoors on a dry day: A fairly large piece of plain paper (a roll of old wallpaper is ideal); a flat tray; some paints (the children's ones in tubes are good) and a couple of old paintbrushes. Shoes and socks off. Painting hands or the soles of feet and then pressing them onto the paper. A quick wipe of hands and feet to change the colours. A work of art!

Fold A4 paper in half, cut out a big butterfly shape, then Decorate with felt tips or paints, hole punch the tips then string your butterflies around as butterfly bunting.
Get a big roll of wallpaper lining paper roll out on floor ( do this outside weather permitting) get child to lie on paper then draw around her ( actual size) the you can both paint her full size portrait with poster paints. Get her to draw around you as well. Hang your portraits up.

Make tissue paper flowers. Use straws as stems . Put in vase. I love crafty stuff!

All above ideas with glitter and sparkly sequins!

"All above ideas with glitter and sparkly sequins!"

But outdoors, or you'll be finding glitter and sequins for years in the house

It'll soon be autumn (don't groan!) so you could go for a walk in the morning and collect some lovely autumn leaves then make an autumn picture/collage, sticking the leaves onto a large sheet of thick paper (wallpaper is good).
Use dried pasta to make pictures - spaghetti is good for hair when drawing family members.

She may develop more of an interest in craft if you do it together and her finished project is better than yours

A very simple idea is to collect different leaves and do some leaf rubbing pictures , just place the leaf under plain paper and let her crayon over in different colours.

Make a craft box to keep all her craft stuff in - use a plain box and let her decorate it , you can buy packs of glitter/ pretty paper etc from The Works very cheaply . Kids love anything which requires them using Glue !

I remembered another activity my two used to love - and very easy it is too:

Soap decoupage. Buy soap, let her choose the pics to decorate, place pic and slap decoupage glue (from any craft shop) on first across, let that dry, then up and down. She will love using the soap she made herself in the bath.

How about just painting just use large brush, bucket of water and paint the fence, shed, or house......outside!

Start simple, she's very little. Find the biggest leaf in the park, take it home and stick it on a bit of paper for her bedroom wall. Make pastry shapes that she can eat. Keep every packet and box from the kitchen and make a monster. Outside painting with rolls of wallpaper as others have said.

Glue and sparkly glitter on anything works every time

Anyone remember 'sewing' with Binca? It can be done with a large blunt needle and is great fun for little hands if you can still get hold of some and embroidery silks or wool.

At 3 years old my gs liked posted paints and his hands. Very messy but he loved it . Sometimes he would spend a few minutes with blue and paper shapes and strong and pasta etc but he did not seem to enjoy it very much and it was hardly worth the effort of getting everything out for a short time . We once got a huge cardboard box and we got sharpie pens and scissors and turned it into a spaceship with computers and drinks and cereal dispensers for salesman to have breakfast . This was in my lounge for weeks and we had loads of playtime with it . I was glad to see the back of it though as it was as big as a washing machine.

Can you still get those cards with things like shoe laces to thread through? You could punch out your own holes and make stars and flowers...

Or just take a scrap of material and some cotton wool (or a cotton wool ball), put the cotton wool in the middle and tie it in with ribbon. Paint a face on the "ball" and you have finger puppets. A table tennis ball or one of those polystyrene balls would only work if you poked a hole for the finger...

I remember those cards with laces, haven't seen them for years. They must still sell them.

Thank you all so much for your help. Pavement chalk has been purchased and I'm off to the Works for pretty paper and sparkles. I shall be all organised when she arrives on Monday and hope that "helping" Nana decorate a box will get her interested.

An old shirt or a pinny with sleeves is a good idea too!

I was in the ELC once when they were having a sale and stocked up with poster paint, sponge shaped dabbers for the paint, a pinny, washable glue, etc. very cheaply. But that was a while ago now.