Dancing Ballerina

Here is a simple and fun project that can be enjoyed by the entire family. For the base you will need cardboard and paper clips, the details and the accessories can be improvised, depending on what kinds of materials you have handy.

Here are our suggestions – have fun!

Materials

• cardboard (can be reused, e.g., from a box)
• colored paper
• glue
• string
• a piece of tulle or other fine piece of fabric (can also be tissue paper)
• scissors
• colored pencils
• sewing needle and thread
• paper fasteners/brads (the kind that open in the back, like a butterfly)
• ribbon
• a hole puncher.

Method

The first step is to glue the colored paper over the cardboard piece. Then, using a pencil, trace the contour of the ballerina’s torso, her legs, and her arms.

Cut the contour of the shapes and color the features of the ballerina, her shoes, her dress and her top. You could also choose a color for her hair and tie a piece of ribbon on it. Next you should make some holes on the body where the arms and legs should be attached, and also at the end of each hand and leg. You could try to make a tiny ballerina skirt, out of a piece of tulle or tissue paper. This works as follows: take the strip of material and sew on one of the longer sides, as shown in the picture. When you’ve reached the end, just pull gently and the fabric will compress. Secure it with a knot, then glue it into place.

Put the arms and the legs in place, using the paper clips (make sure you leave a bit of looseness for movement in doing so). On the back, you will need to tie three pieces of string: one connecting the legs, another one connecting the arms (you should make the tie between the cardboard and the paper fastener), and the third one, which needs to be tied in the middle of both. The diagram shows where the knots should be. At the end of the rope connecting the first two, make a loop big enough to fit a finger or a hand.

Enjoy the dancing ballerina by pulling the loop and watching her dance!

Tips: Instead of a ballerina, this can be any of your children’s favorite characters, or maybe you could use their drawings as a starting point and create new characters. Improvise a puppet show or use the characters to explain interaction or movement in different situations.

Text and Illustrations by Laura Munteanu

Laura has studied Journalism and Advertising, and has been working as a journalist and an illustrator. She has been illustrating for magazines, websites, charity and diverse campaigns. She lives in Zurich with her husband and six-year-old daughter.