The Truth About Crafting with Kids
Practice Makes Perfect When Creating Together
I think many of us have visions of how it will be to do crafts with our kids. (Cue the dream sequence music…) We’ll all sit around the table working on our creations. Each of us will have a smile on our faces as we quietly paint, glue and create.
CRASH- Nope!- toss THAT dream out the window.
Instead we finally manage to clear off the table and drag our supplies out. The oldest child moans about how boring your idea is, the baby starts eating marker tips and while you’ve been trying to get past these beginning hurdles and JUST GET STARTED, the four year old has been gluing foam bits to the table. (That’s why he was so quiet!!)
OK, the truth is: sometimes it’s really hard to have fun while crafting with kids. But it can be done! I’m going to begin sharing my crafting with kids tips with you on Wednesdays along with the Kids Get Crafty Link Ups.
The first tip I want to share is this: crafting with kids takes practice. Just like any other routine in your family life, crafting together gets easier if you do it more often. If you go into a project with the attitude that you’re just practicing this, and that the goal is to learn how to enjoy creating together with your children, you may be able to relax a bit more as you hit crafting obstacles.
One of my crafting secrets is having a few simple crafts that we repeat often. I can think of these off the top of my head, and even if we try something new, I can fall back on these if the new project is a miserable failure. Some of our easy crafting favorites are:
- Painting *anything* is usually a hit, even if there is no end product in mind.
- Drawing with crayons and using watercolors over the crayon lines
- Decorating paper airplanes
- Making cards with stickers, markers and glitter glue
Keep a few simple crafts up your sleeve, supplies ready, and it becomes easier to craft often. Craft often with your kids and you’ll begin to know what’s fun for your family and what will probably flop. As you get to know better what your family will enjoy you’ll have an easier time choosing what new crafts to explore together.
Happy crafting! Now get inspired by this week’s Kids Get Crafty!
Join the Kids Get Crafty linky party! Each week Creative with Kids and Red Ted Art host this kids craft linky, bringing you more readers and more ideas to browse!
Disclaimer: By joining the Kids Get Crafty linky you give us permission to highlight any projects on Red Ted Art and Creative with Kids or share your craft ideas on Pintrest – we will always link to your site!
If you have been crafty with your kid’s be it at home, in the kitchen or outdoors, please link up! A link back here will make me grin, and of course, go see what others have been up to and let them know you stopped by from Kids Get Crafty!
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Great article!! I agree with our fantasies of how things will go get in the way of just enjoying the moments we have with our children! Thanks for the idea of “practicing” craftiness, I love it 🙂
Great advice and I love the picture of crafting all peaceful and happy….. my advice never craft when tired/grumpy/hungry (that’s me not the kids)
This post made me laugh! Crafting with kids can be an adventure. Really great tips.
What a great post. Thanks for keeping real AND offering tips on how to make it work!
The egg carton hand puppet I linked up was definitely the most successful craft experience I’ve had with my toddler so far who is into active and outdoor play. It required me making a craft he could play with, engaging him to with that craft, then asking if he wanted to make one himself. I love your tips.
Great tips! Crafting with little ones certainly take patience and practice! I am excited for this new series!
fab tips! This will be a wonderful series! We ALL have days like you mentioned (unless we are lying!, hehe) and there are days when I have to just pack it all up and walk away. It’s best to know when to do that if it’s just not working! It shouldn’t be overwhelmingly stressful.
Looking forward to seeing your other tips.
Love your tips! We do baking soda volcanoes practically daily or draw volcanoes. That never gets boring for my son. We also do playdoh and painting with random tools.
Great post! Excited to read your other tips!
Some great tips here. I have to watch my expectations. If I can keep those in check we have a good time no matter the results. Just pinned this! Vicky from http://www.messforless.net
How true this is! I often wonder why I bother when I get out the crafty stuff…. I have to say it is usually all worth it in the end. We have a few favourites that we tend to stick with too . Mainly painting, card making and play dough.