Crafting with children is something that I am passionate about. I have always enjoyed crafting myself, but since having children and starting my craft blog Red Ted Art, I have really seen the benefit that children and parents alike derive from sitting down and making something together. Crafting with children brings an entirely new dimension to crafting – it makes it easier (kids love anything you make, their expectations are much lower) and more fun (if you give them a chance, you will see that kids have great ideas). So if you are someone who “doesn’t craft”… here are some reasons why you “should craft with your kids”. These are some of the reasons why I love crafting with my kids:
1. It makes them happy (pretty good reason in my eyes) 2. They surprise me with their ideas and imagination (and actually developing their creativity whilst at it) 3. They learn all sorts of things whilst crafting – from fine motor skills, to problem solving, planning… 4. Crafting is a great confidence builder and a wonderful way to bring other things they are learning about to life 5. It is great “together” time – we often craft together and sometimes “One on One” 6. It keeps us busy 7. Most of our crafts are inexpensive – makes for good frugal family fun
The main reasons I hear from parents about why they do not craft more, is that either they
1. Just don’t know how (aka “I can’t draw/ paint/ craft, so how can I with my kids”) or
2. I am really sorry, but I hate the mess.
If you fall into either or both categories, here are my thoughts:
Re 1. I can’t: You can! You can, because your kids are young and your kids don’t care whether your craft really looks like a cat or a pig. You made something with them, they usually love it regardless. And you can learn and develop your skills as you go along with your kids. If you need help and inspiration, do check out my site Red Ted Art (there well over 1000 easy and fun kids crafts), this is a free resource for you to browse and get ideas from. But manage your own expectations- your crafts will not look like our crafts –we are all different. Often when we revisit a craft and make it again, it also looks different too!
Re 2. You don’t like mess: I hear you! Mess can be difficult to cope with (and yes, I have been known to screech at my paint cover child “DO NOT MOVE!!!!!”) but there are plenty of crafts out there that do not involve mess! E.g. Paper Crafts generally speaking are low mess and there are plenty of things you can make (so many in fact, I wrote a whole book about Easy Paper Projects). Simple, low mess crafts. There are lots of ideas that do not involve paint or glue (if those are your pet hates). Have a browse and see what appeals to you and your circumstances!
Remember, you are crafting with your children, so no matter the age, you can get crafty, even if they end up doing a lot of playing with bits and piece or just the finish product, they will still have enjoyed spending time with you and being part of having created something.
Happy Crafting!
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