This pretend paper hair salon could keep the kids happily entertained for hours! During a recent visit to the craft store, Clara (age 8) spotted some foam heads. She had been wanting to create a pretend hair salon for some time, but I have a feeling this may only be the beginning of her crafting journey with these foam heads. She has big plans for these! With some paper, scissors, and a few pieces of craft foam, she was able to give these foam heads the full salon treatment complete with hair and make up. I love how something so simple made her very happy! This would be an engaging activity for a rainy day, or anytime you need a bit of indoor creative fun. As an added bonus, the kids can use safety scissors to practice early cutting skills while they create a range of looks for their clients.
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Begin by crafting the paper wigs for the foam heads. We use leftover paper filling from packages that were shipped to us, but brown paper bags or a roll of craft paper would work well for this. Start by attaching the paper to the foam head with a bit of masking tape. Next, use scissors to create long strands of hair. You can even curl the strands by rolling them up with a pencil. This was Clara’s favorite way to style the paper hair!
Invite your child to practice cutting and styling their “client’s” hair! Clara loved using highlighter markers to color the hair, and of course gave plenty of hair cuts too. She enjoyed pampering her clients with the latest and greatest hair styles with ribbons and bows!
To extend the salon experience, kids may want to craft up some pretend make up with craft foam. This “fake up” is mess free and easy to make. For even more fun, glitter craft foam can be used to make more realistic pretend eyeshadow or blush palette! Also, cotton swabs make great eyeshadow applicators for this pretend salon experience.