I saw this very simple craft for making a turtle in one of my Mailbox magazines.

What you’ll need:

• paper plate
• construction paper- green, yellow, brown
• glue
• marker
• scissors

Directions:

• Have child tear apart the construction paper into little pieces.  (This is an excellent way to help strengthen their hands)
• Glue pieces of torn paper onto paper plate.
• Depending on the age of the child- you can have them cut out the pieces for the head and legs.  I would probably start doing this around age 3.
• Again- depending on the age of the child- they can draw the eyes and mouth onto face.

Hailey wouldn’t have anything to do with tearing up the paper, so she just watched me do it.

Gluing, on the hand, Hailey loves to do.  If I tried to help her she said, “No, no, no.  I do.”

Gluing the torn pieces onto the paper plate.

The finished turtle.

Cute and easy.