A good friend recently gave me a box of wooden clothespin supplies. I knew immediately I wanted to make a set of worry dolls for my daughter's upcoming birthday.
Traditionally in Guatemala, worry dolls are made by thread-wrapping colorful string around little pieces of wood. Children talk about their troubles with the dolls and tuck them under their pillows. The little dolls worry for the child in their place so the kids can get a good sleep.
The string technique is a little trickier then it looks to avoid having the dolls look voo doo. I set about upcycling a bag of doll clothing we found at a garage sale instead. I plan to give the thread-wrapping another try at a later date.
Fairy.
Mermaid and her Prince.
For the dolls hair I snipped some of my daughter's My Little Pony tails...shhh! and glued it on to a tiny headband. Painting crowns on with acrylic works okay too. I used a black Sharpie pen for the faces. Prince charming sports pompom hair.
Back to school transition can be tough on kids. Hopefully, these little worry dolls will ease some anxiety.
Many psychologists believe children involved in making the dolls will further increase the psychological benefits of releasing worries. I plan to give the kids the rest of the box of supplies and let them work their charm.
and here is what their charm came up with...
My oldest daughter finished two dolls in the time it took me to create half of one!
If pressed for time Green Kid Crafts offers a wonderful kit complete with everything you need to make your own Guatemalan Worry Dolls:
The kit comes with upcycled fabric, glue, pipe cleaners, wooden clothespins, and detailed instructions. Free shipping on all Green Kid Crafts Subscription boxes for kids.
Update:
My daughter absolutely adored her Worry Doll birthday gift. She spent a considerable amount of time checking out every little detail of their outfits AND hair which brought lots of squeals of laughter.
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