The ideas that follow are super for a small group of school-age children or one-on-one preschool play dates, although the littlest tots will require help  and you may need to modify the projects. Either way, everything here will help hone some basic skills while encouraging youngsters to use what they have to be creative. (For important info on glitter control, see the tip at the end of this story.)

Smiley and Frowny Emoticons

• Sheets of cardboard
• Yellow paint
• Glue
• Wiggle eyes
• Chenille sticks
• Pompoms
• Felt
• Glitter

1. Cut out two 3-inch cardboard circles. Paint one side of each one yellow, and glue the unpainted sides together.
2. Add chenille-stick lips and wiggle eyes. (Glued-on felt or pompoms are good alternatives to wiggle eyes if you have concerns about tiny objects.) Attach one chenille stick, ends up, for the cheerful version, and the other stick, ends down, for the cranky fellow. Change colors and faces for additional emoticons.
3. Cover all with glitter and call these your shimmering buddies.

Glitter Snowflakes

• Clean white coffee filters
• Single-hole punch
• Decorative-edge scissors
• Tape
• Glitter glue

1. Fold filters in half until each one is one-eighth of its original size. Then go crazy punching out holes or using the scissors to create squiggles and shapes.
2. Unfold filters and assess efforts. Cover with glitter glue—try white, silver, or any other color that makes a celestial statement.
3. Display on the fridge, tape to windows to show the neighbors, or hang for a glittery mobile!

Frosty the Snowman

• Styrofoam balls
• Toothpicks
• Glue
• Wiggle eyes
• Chenille stick
• Felt
• Buttons
• Twigs
• Glitter

1. Stack balls in size order, and connect them with toothpicks.
2. Glue on eyes, make a chenille stick nose, and add a felt mouth (a small circle is all you need). Use twigs for arms.
3. Finish the look with small black buttons running from neck to belly. (Have younger kids use small felt circles instead of buttons.)
4. Dust your snowman with dazzling white glitter for extra shimmer.
5. Accessorize your snow dude with a snappy felt scarf and hat. Make a second snowman or a snowwoman to keep him company.

A Delivery Drone—or an Insect

• Three craft sticks for each child
• Yellow and black paints
• Chenille sticks
• Wiggle eyes
• Glue
• Glitter

1. Paint one stick black and two sticks yellow.
2. Apply glitter—try gold for razzle-dazzle.
3. Place the matching yellow sticks on top of the black stick, but arrange them in a criss-cross pattern. Stop there if you want to make a delivery drone. Or tack on eyes, chenille-stick legs, and chenille-stick antennae, and voilà—there’s your insect.

Handprint Flamingos

• Pencil
• Lid from a gift box
• Scissors
• Fluorescent pink paint
• Glue
• Pink glitter

• 3 clothespins
• Wiggle eyes
• Pink feathers

1. Trace your hand on the cardboard lid, and cut out the shape.
2. Paint both sides of the hand shape and sprinkle generously with glitter. Paint clothespins too.
3. Orient the hand sideways, so the thumb points up. Use clothespins for legs (clip them to the part of the palm that’s near the pinky). Use the remaining clothespin for the head and neck, placing it on the palm but close to the thumb.
4. Add a wiggle eye to each side of the clothespin head.
5. Need more pink? Add fuchsia feathers. Don’t love that color? Try red paint and blue glitter, and create a patriotic flamingo.