“My Guardian Angel” Peg Doll Project for Kids!

I've been painting peg dolls for a while now, and every time I pull out my paints, brushes, and unfinished wooden dolls to paint a new one, my oldest child always asks, "mommy, can I paint one too?!"

The first time I let her paint one, she wildly layered on 17 colors of paint all at once! I happened to be painting some simple angels at the time, so she decided to call hers an angel too.

Right then, I had a eureka moment. I thought to let hers dry then add a face, wings, hands, and a halo, and I'd call it her very own guardian angel.

I love that her angel peg doll is super colorful, a little bit wild, vibrant, sweet and fun, just like she is. I imagine her actual guardian angel must pretty similiar be to keep up with her! (Do guardian angels have personalities? Hmm.)

I love the hint of symbolism in this project. Just as the children painting them are unique and wonderfully made by God, they each have a unique angel sent to protect them. Perfect that their peg doll is just as unique as they are.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM?

First, get some peg dolls. There are many online retailers that sell unfinished wood parts. Go in on it a with a friend, get more peg dolls at once, and avoid shipping fees.

Then, choose a handful of those inexpensive acrylic craft paints from your local craft store. Pull out a bunch of paint brushes and a styrofoam plate.

Finally, let your child go to town! Let them choose their favorite colors and paint their peg doll however they want.

I often let my daughter paint over muliple days, allowing the paint to dry, and giving her a chance to paint with lots of different colors. Sometimes if you give kids too many colors at once, their peg doll just becomes a brown blob. Letting them paint over a couple days also means they won't immediately ask, "can I paint another? then another? and another???" (Are my children the only ones who ask that?) ...Oh, and you won't have a ton of guardian angel peg dolls around your house (they're cheap, but not that cheap).

When your child is finished painting, take a contrasting paint color (I like white), and add the wings how ever you'd like. If your child is older, let them paint their own wings. Then take a skin tone color, and paint a face, and paint hands that look like they are praying. If you want, add a halo with some paint or a permanent marker.

Finish with a craft varnish (like this one). Be careful when you varnish over permanent marker as it may bleed a little. Brush the first layer on very lightly, then go back again when it has dried.

Have fun with this project! It is great for 2, 3, and 4-year-olds. Great for elementary kids. Great for preschool classrooms. My oldest even painted some of these angels as "Thank You" gifts for her Catechesis of the Good Shepherd teachers one year!

OTHER ANGELS

Take a look at some of our other angel peg dolls. We have a set of the 3 archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. A friend of mine painted our St. Gabriel, so I won't picture it here, but you can see the others. Like I said above, I painted some simple angels too.

ST. MICHAEL