Top 5 Creative Crafts to do with Kids
Electronic is a part of everyday life. I never thought I’d see the day when all of our children would have some device. That day though, has come, and even our preschooler can maneuver a tablet better than I can! Electronics are fun, but there is nothing like creating crafts together.
Our friend Candice Schaffer from 242 Broome, 88 & 90 Lexington Avenue, and 53 W 53, has come up with a list of the top five creative crafts to do with kids. So get your glue sticks ready, and let’s get crafting!
Get the Kids back to Creativity!
Whether you’re already aware of the many benefits of engaging your child in art or are just looking for a rainy day activity to pass the time, starting a creative project can be a fun way to spend any afternoon. For some children who have difficulty expressing themselves in other ways, art can be a great way of communicating.
It’s a wonderful chance for children with a natural creative streak to build confidence and show off their strengths or unique perspectives to the world. If you’re looking to foster your child’s confidence and give them a chance to showcase their creative side, try starting with one of these creative crafts to do with kids.
Top 5 Creative Crafts to do with Kids
1. “Paint with Water” Coloring Books:
For many children with autism, an aversion to messy materials can be a roadblock to getting started with arts and crafts. “Paint with water” coloring books are an excellent way to get your kid hooked on the satisfying feeling of making something colorful and beautiful without the worry of getting themselves covered in paint.
You can usually find these at arts and crafts stores, dollar stores, or online from toy companies like Melissa & Doug or Crayola. The best part is that once the water dries, the colors fade, and the books are ready to be reused over and over again! Glass is also a fun canvas for painting, but you will have to be extra careful with the kids. Some paints work well with glass on BestOfMachinery if you want to explore the idea.
Click Here to check out Water Color Books at Dollar Tree!
2. Paint Swatch Bookmarks:
You may have these lying around, or if not, you can pick up some free samples at your local paint or hardware store. Please encourage your child to choose a color scheme and ask them to think about what those colors bring to mind.
If the blue-green shades of the swatch they chose remind them of the ocean, use the color chips as your background and help them to make a themed collage on top of it that includes things you might see under the water: fish, seaweed, bubbles, or bright coral are just a few ideas. Then punch a hole in the top and add a decorative tassel or ribbon to finish it off.
3. Colorful Modeling Clay:
Modeling clay is a great way for kids to express themselves and develop their motor skills simultaneously. Whether your child is into building cars, rainbows, or characters from a cartoon they love, this offers a chance to recreate their favorite things as they see them.
If this feels a bit too challenging or open-ended for your child, simply allowing them to roll the clay between their hands into balls or cylinders, flatten the clay against the table and cut shapes out with cookie cutters experiment with different color combinations can all be engaging activities.
4.Pipe Cleaner and Styrofoam Hand Puppets:
This activity is rewarding for kids of all ages and abilities because it’s easy to tailor to your child. These puppets are extremely easy to build in their simplest form, but a child can decorate them as much as their imagination and motor skills will allow by adding hats, funny features, or jewelry. Plus, they get the added fun of playing with the puppet and making their character come alive once it’s complete!
Begin by cutting a pipe cleaner to about 3 inches long, and stick a 1-inch Styrofoam ball to each end. Wrap the pipe cleaner in a U-shape under your middle finger so that the two balls rest on the top of your hand on either side as the puppet’s eyes.
Add “googly eyes” to each of the balls, then get creative by adding extra pipe cleaner eyelashes, ears, or eye shadow to make each one unique. Then put on your show or spark up a conversation between puppets!
5. Chalk Wild:
We’ve written about Chalk Wild before on this site — a therapeutic, erasable marker and book bag set that allows your child to express themselves in a wearable form. This is a great activity and a fun way for kids to decorate and revamp their backpacks, reflecting whatever inspires them at the time!
Take it a step further by trying the markers out on an even bigger canvas like a clear plastic shower curtain, and see where all that open space takes them. For an extra challenge, draw a maze, and see if your child can draw their way through it (knowing that any wrong turns are erasable).
There Ya Go!
The best part about doing an art project with your child is seeing if it inspires them to try something new! If you find that you begin a project your way and your child has their own way of doing it, let them guide you and see where it takes you both.
