Welcome to a place where we can share ideas about grandparenting, especially ways to pass spiritual values and family stories to the next generation.

Mary is the co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart.
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Co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

Friday, February 18, 2011

Giant Paper Dolls and Paper Twins

Friday's Grand Connection Fun


Friday's Fun

Last night, while Pops and I babysat for some of our grandchildren, a granddaughter sang an original, one-of-a-kind song to her special baby doll. We both had to force ourselves not to laugh as her tune changed from a lullaby into "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."

I’m so grateful for all of our grands. Each of their individual personalities and creativity continue to amaze me. Our 18-month-old grandson is now “coming of age,” and we are getting a peek into the neat little guy that he is.

Psalm 139 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. And … today, I thought I'd share how to "create" wonderfully made giant paper dolls or paper twins.

When our family went on a weekend getaway together last year, a daughter-in-love asked the children to lie down on large sheets of white paper. She traced each child's body and then cut the shape out. The kids had a great time coloring their paper twins. (We used a roll of white paper, but you could use bulletin board paper from a teacher supply store, brown shipping paper, or even newspaper.)

A similar idea is making giant paper dolls . If you want to get really creative, you could detach the paper arms and legs and reattach with brads. You could also use strands of yarn for hair.

In the February 2009 issue of the magazine Family Fun, Stephanie Pham shared how she traced her child’s body on a large piece of cardboard to make a life-size paper doll. Then she helped her daughter make life-size paper doll clothes. Sounds like fun to me! (For a really special touch, clothes could also be cut out of cloth and attached with Velcro.)

Have you made cut-out shapes or giant paper dolls with your children or grandchildren? We'd love for you to share about it by either posting a comment below or e-mailing mary@marymaywrites.com (I'll post the comment for you).

Whether we make a life-size paper doll or a paper twin with a grandchild, the resulting creation is sure to be one of a kind—just like our legacy.

Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

© 2009 Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great idea. That is something to do on a rainy day. It reminds me of a time when the family was together, our daughter, Carol, made cutouts of each grandchild’s right and left hands. She framed them and sent us one large picture of all the little hands. We cherish it. Best, Rita

Mary May Larmoyeux said...

Thanks for sharing ideas, Rita. What a treasure to have framed cutouts of your grandchildren's hands! - Mary