Red is one of the most dominant choices in colour psychology - some scientific studies have shown red to create a more stimulating effect on our visual activity. It’s the colour of blood and fire, associated with meanings of love, sensitivity, joy, strength, leadership and determination. The shades of red make kids feel bright, lively and cheerful. Here are some fun and educational crafts to enjoy with red and activity lovers of all ages!

Red Dog

This super easy gorgeous face is based on Clifford the Big Red Dog, the children’s book about the wonderful adventures of a girl named Emily and her devoted pet, the giant, red-furred Clifford.
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YOU'LL NEED:

• Paper plates
• White and black card stock paper
• Red paint
• Black sharpie
• Glue
• Scissors

HERE'S HOW:

1. Cut the paper plate into Clifford's face shape (you should draw with pencil first for the kids).
2. Cut the paper in ear shapes. Cut out a nose and some eyes with the white and black paper. Draw in the pupils with the black sharpie.
3. Paint the plate and paper ears with the red paint and let to dry.
4. Glue on the ears, eyes, and nose. Making sure the paint has completely dried, draw a mouth and eyebrows with the sharpie.
5. Woof – Clifford is here!

Paper Strawberry

These beautiful origami strawberries can feature as a decoration or a gift for someone special. You could even place a small toy or token inside for a wonderful strawberry surprise!


YOU'LL NEED:

• Craft Papers (Red and Green)
• Scissors
• Glue

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HERE'S HOW:

1. Make the creases. Using a 15 x 15cm (5.91 x 5.91 inches) square piece of red craft paper, fold the opposite corners over each other to form diagonal creases. Flip the paper and fold the opposite corners over each other to form vertical and horizontal creases on the paper.
2. Forming the Diamond shape. Flip the paper back over again and holding it from the ends of the horizontal crease, push in along the diagonal creases, and overlap the vertical crease folds on the front and back to form a diamond shape.
3. Folding folded Diamond corners. Hold the diamond shape in such a way that open folds are at the bottom and closed folds are at the top. Bring the top right and left corners to the middle.
4. Folding bottom corners of the paper. Fold the bottom right and left corners to the middle and make creases.
5. Make tiny arrows. Unfold and open the bottom folded corners from the middle and push them in along the creases to form tiny arrow shapes.
6. Flipping and repeating. Flip the diamond shape to the back and follow the same procedure as before to form tiny arrows over that side too. Your diamond shape is now a hexagon shape.
7. Folding the Hexagon sides. Open the paper from the adjacent paper sides to see the hexagon shapes without partitions and any folds. Fold the smaller adjacent hexagon sides to the middle, then flip the paper to the back and repeat. The hexagon is converted into a rhombus. Clever you!
8. Folding corners upward along creases. Now, fold the bottom corners of the rhombus (i.e., corners that you recently folded) upwards along the small horizontal crease. Flip the paper and repeat the same.
9. Folding the adjacent side folds. Fold open the adjacent rhombus sides with the portions and fold their bottom ends to align with the previous folds. Place a finger inside the bottom opening of the figure and push out the four sides to see a 3D strawberry.
10. Inserting the triangles. You should clearly see four triangles coming out.  Fold and insert them into the strawberry.
11. Making the crown over the strawberry. To make leaves, take 7.5x 7.5 cm (2.95 x 2.95 inches) of green square craft paper and fold it in half by folding the bottom corner to the above. This will form a triangle.
12. Folding the triangle sides. Fold the folded side of the triangle over it and again fold it to form a tiny triangle
13. Make the leaf shape. Shape the folded tiny triangle into a leaf shape, then cut out a point-like part from the corner of it as shown in the image using scissors.
14. Curling the crown petals. Unfold the triangle and you will see the crown of the strawberry. Using a sharp object, curl the petals of your crown.
15. Inserting a stem. Make a roll stick of green paper to make the stem and insert it in the hole.
16. Apply glue. Apply glue on the top edges of the strawberry. Glue the crown to the strawberry – and it’s finished!

Ladybug Toilet Paper Roll

This fun and easy craft is perfect for kids of all ages and requires minimal supplies. Not only will your kids have a great time making this craft, but they will also learn about the importance of recycling and reusing materials.
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YOU'LL NEED:

• Toilet Paper Roll
• Coloured Paper (Black, Red, and White)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Googly eyes (optional)

HERE'S HOW:​

1. Hold the toilet roll (the body of the ladybug). Take the black paper and wrap the toilet roll with it, using glue.
2. To make the wings, cut a circle out of the red paper sheet. Cut the circle into two equal halves. Paste the wings to the body as shown in the image.
3. If you have googly eyes, paste them on now with glue. You can also make your own by cutting two white circles and two small black circles from your paper. Paste them onto the body.
4. To make the antennae, cut shapes from black sheet into antlers and stick them inside the top of the paper roll using glue.
5. Cut out small circles from the black paper sheet to add the spots to the wings. Paste them to the wings using glue.
6. Make your ladybug smile! Cut a small semicircle from red paper and paste it under the eyes of the ladybug. Your adorable ladybug is ready!

No-cook Play Dough

This is a quick and easy recipe that kids can help to make as well as create! It’s the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon inside. It's quick enough to hold a young child's attention and you only need a few store cupboard ingredients.


YOU'LL NEED:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 drops of red food colouring

​HERE'S HOW:

1. Combine plain flour and salt.
2. Add water, food colouring and oil. Mix until ingredients are well combined.
3. Dust a work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough. Knead well – you are looking for a smooth, pliable dough.  If consistency is too wet add a little plain flour. If you want more intense colour, work in a few extra drops of the red food colouring.
4. You can store the playdough in a plastic sandwich bag (squeeze out the air) in the fridge to keep it fresh.

Note: Your kids may love to make lots of different shapes. You can use cookie cutters, or consider:
garlic press - cake pans - muffin tins - garden tools (kid’s plastic ones) - forks - combs - melon ballers