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DIY Mermaid Tiara to Make and Wear

Hi, Rainy Day Mum readers. I’m Meghan, the founder and writer of Playground Parkbench. I am thrilled to join Under the Sea week for Storybook Summer to share one of my daughter’s favorite books, which she now enjoys even more while dressed the part!  With two grandmas as teachers, books are a frequent and much loved gift in our house.  When MerMer, our Texas grandmother, came to visit this Spring, she brought my 3 year old budding ballerina, Big M, a new Fancy Nancy book to add to her collection: Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet.

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how

Dress the Part! DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids

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Mermaid Ballet soon became the daily favorite, requested for every bedtime reading, and was even presented at preschool when Big M was Star of the Week.  It wasn’t long after that she started to end every reading with, “I wish I could have a mermaid tiara.”  She was beyond thrilled when one day I announced our daily afternoon project would be just that…

Check out our fantastic selection of the best preschool and toddler mermaid books for even more read-aloud books your little mermaid will love.

Supplies to make your own DIY Mermaid Tiara

Starfish
Assorted white shells for crafting
Headband
Hot glue (parent supervision required)
Glitter paint
Foam ocean-themed stickers (optional)

Cost: Less than $10
Prep Time: Less than 5 minutes
Clean-Up Time: Less than 5 minutes (24 hours to dry)

How to Make your Mermaid Tiara

For ease of clean-up, I always keep a supply of Dollar Store plastic tablecloths on hand.  I cut them in thirds or quarters, and lay them down on the table.  Any paint drips, glitter spills or other crafting mess is easily contained, and readily rolled up and thrown away when we are done.  If you shy away from arts and crafts with your kids for fear of the mess, don’t – check out all our best sanity savers and enjoy the process with our Crafting with Kids – Survival Guide.

I set the table with our ‘drop cloth’, and laid out the assorted shells and headband.  At 3.5, Big M prefers to direct while I use the glue gun.  She opened the book and pointed out the three starfish configuration of Fancy Nancy’s mermaid tiara.  Once I had applied those, she then directed the precise placement of the rest of the shells.  Finally, she requested she paint it with our latest craft store find – glitter tempera paint.  She requested blue and purple ‘sparkle paint’.

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how

And since these days, Lil’ M, my almost 2-year-old, never wants to be left out, I of course, made two mermaid tiaras.  She requested purple and green sparkle paint.  And they both set about diligently painting their crowns.

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how

The hardest part of the whole project? Convincing them the tiaras had to dry, and they couldn’t wear them right away! They are now a necessary accessory anytime we read Mermaid Ballet or any of the other favorites in our mermaid library.  Looking for a few more mermaid reads this summer?  Our other favorites include: The Mermaid’s Shoes; the latest installment in the Pinkalicious series, Aqualicious; and for the toddler set, That’s Not My Mermaid, a touch and feel board book!

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how

Does your little reader want to complete their mermaid ensemble?  After weeks of donning their blankets as mermaid tails to go along with their tiaras, this week the girls and I also made their own wearable mermaid tails, inspired by The Mermaid’s Shoes, to go with their tiaras.

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how

More Ocean Themed Arts and Crafts for Kids

Under Sea Painting

Torn Paper Sea Horse

Crazy Sea Monsters

Coral Reef Salt Painting

DIY Sea Turtle Stamps

Ocean Animal Canvas

Under Sea Clay Animals

Read more from Meghan

Ocean-Themed Sensory Play

DIY First Ballet Slipper Keepsake

Weaving Word Webs (Charlotte’s Web)

Pin the DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids to make later

Dress the Part - DIY Mermaid Tiara for Kids, kids can make and play with this easy to make tiara click through to find out how
Author
Meghan from Playground Parkbend website
Meghan

A former hedge fund professional turned stay-at-home mom, Meghan quickly discovered there is no one like a fellow parent more willing to help another parent out. Her best information came from fellow parents while on the parkbench as their kids played in the sandbox.  She launched Playground Parkbench in 2014 to capture all those tips, and share them, both locally and beyond. She shares parenting tips and mommy sanity savers, household budgeting advice on Financially Savvy Fridays, at-home activities for kids, as well as local content for her hometown.

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