• Colorful crayons for craft projects.crayons image by CraterValley Photo from Fotolia.com
  
  Babysitting is a very important job for a responsible and creative individual. Creativity is essential to keep children attentive and interested in the task. Crafts provide an excellent way for children to develop artistic skills, stretch imaginations and create a project to be proud of.
  
  

Finger Puppet

• Finger puppets are a fun craft to complete after reading a child's favorite book to them. Let the child choose the main characters from the book to make into puppets. Using construction paper, draw an outline of the character and carefully cut it out. Remember to cut out 2 holes at the bottom for your fingers. Color and decorate the puppet with the markers and crayons. Next, glue on googly eyes and yarn for hair. Finally, put your index and middle fingers in the holes to become the puppets' legs and watch the puppets come alive in your own puppet show.
  
  

Personalized Placemat

• Creating a personalized placemat is a unique way for a child to describe himself and his interests. On a sheet of construction paper, the child uses a bold marker to write and color his name. Adding glitter to the name is an option to give it some sparkle. Next, glue pictures of the child to the mat or cut out and glue magazine photos that display the child's interests. Place stickers around the mat for a creative border. Use clear contact paper to line the front and back of the personalized placemat. The child now can display his artwork at the table, hang it on the wall or give the placemat as a gift.
  
  

Drawing as Tall as Me

• For this project, roll out a sheet of paper as long as the child. The child will lie on the paper while you use a marker to trace his outline. When finished, the child will complete the image by drawing facial features, hair, clothing and accessories. This is a great time for him to use his imagination and creativity.
  
  

Homemade Dough

• What could be more fun than playing with dough to create shapes? Making your own dough should be a blast. To start, mix 2 cups flour and 1 cup salt together completely. Next, add your choice of food coloring to the water. For a darker shade, add more drops of coloring. Add 2/3 cup water a little at a time to the mixture to get it sticky. It should not stick to your hand. The dough can be stored for months in a plastic bag so the child can have many hours of fun. An adult can bake the dough items in a 250-degree oven for 2 hours or set them out in the sun for 2 days until hardened.
  
  

Popsicle Stick Frame

• The popsicle stick frame makes a wonderful present for a parent or teacher, or simply to hang on the refrigerator. First, glue 8 popsicle sticks together. Put 2 sticks on the top, 2 on the bottom and 2 on each side. After the glue dries, the child can carefully paint the frame any color and then decorate it with stickers once the paint has dried. Next, carefully glue the child's photo onto a piece of cardboard and glue the cardboard onto the frame. Attach magnets to the frame and it is ready to display.