My kids adore Shrinky Dinks – they love the magic of coloring a thin sheet of plastic and seeing it shrink down to a tiny charm (see the beetle on the 8.5×11-inch sheet of paper below – it started out roughly the same size as the bus Lily is coloring above).
One thing I like about Shrinky Dinks is that my kids use them as toys once they create them! This is a game Emma made. I don’t understand the strategy, but it involves math addition facts flash cards, and the beetle going around the maze to the center.
Johnny created this cute play scape for his monkey and fish – the fish is in a special fish tank. Can you spot the bathroom and the car on the left-hand side of the page?
Do your kids create games for their crafts?
The Shrinky Dink toys for this post were provided by ALEX Toys. All opinions are my own.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Oh fun! I suppose they would make nice ornaments too!
That’s a great idea, Ann! Thank you!!!
I loved shrinky dinks when I was a kid…and my kids are loving them now!
Shrinky Dinks are AWESOME! My girls would use them to make pendant jewelry. So simple and yet so magical to cook them down! Love them!
They would make great pendant jewelry! I’ll have to let Emma do that, thanks for the suggestion!
Oh my kids totally do, and of course make a mess in the process :) Shrinky Dinks totally take me back…….
Shrinky Dinks were one of my favorite crafts as a child. I need to get some. I love how your kids use them in play.
I had never heard of Shrinky Dinks, but I love what your kids have done with them. :)
You know I need to dig out the Shrinky Dinks we have. We tried them once a while ago, but the kids weren’t interested in them afterwards. I was, the kids not so much…….
Anna was introduced to Shrinky Dinks for the first time this year. So far we’ve been coloring them and shrinking them, and she is playing a little with them but waiting to set up a Santa workshop scene that came with it. Next time I’ll get “free standing” shrinky dinks and see what happens.
We haven’t done free standing ones yet – I think Johnny especially would enjoy those, as he is always making little guys out of paper to play with.
I remember Shrinky Dinks. Abby hasn’t made one yet. Those were so fun!
Wow, your kids are so creative! I was looking at your son’s drawing and I was amazed so much – children all over the world apparently draw the same way! Yet another special “language” that makes us understand that world is but one country!
I love the way children draw the same way all around the world!
Ooh, I remember doing shrinky dinks when I was little!
Somehow I completely missed out on these as a child, but they are a lot of fun!
Why have I not purchased Shrinky Dinks for my kid yet?! I LOVED these as kids. I remember coloring in the Smurfs ones and then baking it, and you put them in little stands so that you can play with them after. Okay I have to look these up online! :)
I never knew what they were until I had kids of my own, but they are a lot of fun!