Who doesn’t love washi tape? Kids included.
Cammy loves using it for her creations, but her birthday stash of washi tape has run out. We’re also out of ordinary sticky tape and with a stack of January birthday gifts to wrap, we were in need of a plan.
I rummaged through our art cupboard and found rolls and rolls of masking tape.
The plan was a simple one: Make and Decorate Our Own Washi Tape.
Cammy was engaged for a long time, and we also discovered that this little impromptu activity actually has many benefits for writers and pre-writers.
Making and decorating your own washi tape provides children with an opportunity to:
- Practise pen control
- Write within a specific area- more limited than a blank piece of paper, but a little more freedom than writing on lines or dotted thirds.
- Exercise their creativity
- Practise their pattern making
- Personalise gifts and cards
You will need:
- Masking Tape
- Coloured Sharpies (or other permanent markers)
- Scissors
- Pre-wrapped gifts or
- Baking paper (recommended if you don’t want to use your washi tape straight away)
How to Make Your Own Washi Tape:
It’s so simple:
- You could cut small pieces of masking tape and use them to pre-wrap your presents. Then, ask your child to decorate the masking tape, by drawing, creating patterns or writing words and messages
- You could cut and stick long strips of masking paper on baking paper and invite your child to draw, decorate, write or create patterns on the masking tape. It shouldn’t lose its stickiness when on the baking paper so you can use it at a later date.
Our homemade washi tape is perfect for wrapping presents, decorating cards or for art pieces.
