When the weather turns rainy and yucky, we need something creative to do! My girls have always been very crafty. Since they loved reading princess books, we decided it was a great day to make princess jewelry inside! We used aluminum foil to make princess jewelry, as well as stickers, tape, and colorful construction paper, making this a sensory activity that even my toddler daughter loved to be a part of!
Princess Stories
My daughters always gravitate toward princess stories. Of course, we could read the traditional princess stories, but it's always fun to find original stories about princesses. Here are some of our favorites.
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Geraldine believes she's a princess in The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Get this book on Amazon.
Do Princess Wear Hiking Boots? by Carmela LaVigna Cole reassures the reader that what is inside is what matters for a princess. Get this on Amazon.
It turns out the prince is really a bum in The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. The princess is a memorable heroine. Get this book at Amazon.
The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett is a hilarious story where the princess and the pig swap places! See my review at Rebecca Reads or get this book on Amazon.
Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox is a funny take on a familiar tale, with plenty of silly mix-ups! See this book on Amazon.
We love The Princess in Black series, by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale! See the series on Amazon.
How to Make Aluminum Foil Jewelry
Playing with aluminum foil is fun because of the sensory experience. It is noisy and crinkly, so smashing it together or rolling it up is a satisfactory time. Even my one-year-old loved ripping it. Because aluminum foil is not difficult to rip, she felt very satisfied with her progress. Besides, aluminum foil is very sparkly. What could be more delightful for princess jewelry than something so sparkly?
Well, real jewels might be satisfactory, but since I knew my daughter would tire of her jewelry after a short time, I knew it was not necessary. I cut off strips of the foil and my daughter and I rolled it with the shiniest side outwards. Then, when we had long snakes of foil, we twisted them into shapes and twisted them together.
For our princess crown, we shaped the foil into “swirls” and a heart. I made a smaller heart to dangle in the middle of her tiara. (Crown or tiara: what is the difference?) My daughter and I attached the foil to the paper with tape and then attached the paper tiara together in the back to fit on her head.
Her bracelet and necklace likewise were twisted foil. It was easy for her to do and she loved the satisfaction of the sparkles!
More Crafty Princess Jewelry and Costumes
We also made a sash out of card stock. We weaved a ribbon through the top and bottom of the card stock, and tied a bow to the side. We used stickers and more cardstock to make a fancy decoration for the front of her sash.
My preschooler loved showing off her fancy jewelry and costume! It’s true the tin foil untwists and falls off sometimes. This is not a long-term jewelry solution. But, for our preschool princess, twisting and playing with foil provided a perfect medium for creating sparkly jewelry for a princess costume!
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P.S. You might also like my sewing plan for putting together a Princess in Black costume.