Easy Craft Projects for Kids
If there is one thing that many parents wish they could have, it’s more quality time with their kids. It is getting harder and harder for modern parents to spend time with their youngsters without them being glued to a phone entranced by their favourite Youtuber, but time away from electronic devices is vital for their health and social development.
It can be tricky to tempt them away from their precious screen time, so you’ll need something extra tempting to make it worth their while. This could be a walk in the park or a picnic, a bike ride, a trip to the cinema, or the promise of learning a new skill and the chance to get creative.
The kinds of activities you might like to try depend on the age of your children and the types of things they find most interesting and engaging. It can certainly take some trial and error before you find something they want to pursue, or you can simply try as many as possible to help give your kids a taste of something different every now and then.
Make your own sculpting dough
Sculpting dough for kids that doesn’t set and can be reworked is a great way to spend a couple of hours and will result in them having a safe and fun material they can use time and time again to express their creativity. There are many dough recipes (not the edible kind!) to help you make some play dough, but they are all pretty similar and most use common ingredients that you’ll either already have or can easily acquire.
Make an old school chatterbox
Most adults will remember paper chatterboxes from their own childhoods and they are just as much fun for kids today as they were back in the 80s, 90s and 00s. They are very easy to make and can be a lot of fun depending on the things you write inside. Also known as fortune tellers, you can write fun, inspirational messages inside, or write ideas for activities - anything you want!
Simple sewing
Kids that have an interest in arts and crafts might like to learn how to sew a simple project such as making a mask from felt, sewing a pillowcase, or learning a skill such as cross stitch or embroidery. All you need is some Guterman thread and appropriate sewing needles, some fabric, and some embellishments. Sewing might not be appropriate for the youngest kids because you’ll be using things that are pointy and sharp. Any time you are using things that can cause a child to hurt themselves you must always make sure they are properly supervised by a responsible adult.
Paper decorations
A little craft paper can go a long way in creative hands. A pair of paper scissors, a glue stick and some imagination and you and the kids can turn a few sheets of colourful craft paper into some cool decorations. From paper chains to bunting, and from rainbow hearts to paper jellyfish there are thousands of different decorations that can be made with just a little know-how. As there are so many things you can make in this way it is sure to be something that your kids will be able to enjoy time and time again.
Bottle pots
Simple plastic bottles can be cut and decorated to make a huge range of things. Green fingered kids will love making and decorating seed propagators that they can fill with compost and grow something for themselves. You could also make some desk tidies and pen pots from larger plastic bottles. There are thousands of ideas out there so have a look online or ask in parenting groups for inspiration.
Make a pinata
Perfect for an upcoming birthday, pinatas are actually pretty easy and fun to make! Unlike store-bought pinatas it is easy to create a design that looks exactly how you want it to look, and you can then fill the pinata with whatever kinds of sweets, chocolates and small toys you prefer for the children. Pinatas making is a great craft to do with kids because they will initially have fun making it and then will get to have a swing at cracking it open and winning the goodies inside.