The summer holidays are just around the corner, so it’s time to start planning in activities with your children while they’re off school. You might have a few days trips planned and maybe a week away booked in.
However, it’s not always easy to rely on the great British weather. So, it’s worth having some indoor activities at the ready if it’s too rainy to go out or you simply want to stay put for an afternoon.
To keep your little ones busy, why not try some crafting activities? If you’re looking for ways to get creative, read on. Here are some easy crafts for the whole family to try.
Playdough
Playdough is a classic way to get crafty. You might already have store-bought dough, but it can be extra fun to make your own at home. There are some easy-to-follow recipes available, so why not get the kids mixing and adding ingredients? They can help with adding the flour or choosing the food colouring for their dough.
Once you’ve prepped your playdough, you can task your children with creating shapes and scenes. Maybe they could create a house and a garden with flowers or make a 3D rainbow. Let their imaginations run wild!
Papercrafts
Making something from paper is a creative, educational and often therapeutic way to while away an hour or two. Whether your little ones are following instructions to make a picture out of balled-up pieces of colourful tissue paper or creating 3D models, papercrafts are a fun activity that can keep children of all ages entertained.
Take the time to research some paper-based crafting ideas that your child might want to try and talk through the different ways they might like to approach their creation.
Tie dying
It’s time to channel the 1990s and reimagine the plain white tee. You might have spent your own school holidays tie dyeing your clothing. Now it’s time to add a splash of colour and unique patterns to your children’s T-shirts!
Let your children choose the colours, pop on some rubber gloves and get creative. If you have older kids, you could do a demo for them and then they could try it themselves or if you’re entertaining your five-year-old, you could work together on one shirt.
Painting by Numbers
Painting by Numbers is a wonderful way for families to create beautiful artwork without needing advanced painting skills. Each kit comes with pre-labeled sections and matching paint colours, so kids and adults can relax and focus on filling in the shapes one by one. It’s a calming activity that encourages concentration, patience, and colour recognition, and the gradual reveal of the image is exciting for all ages. Once finished, the completed painting can be framed and displayed as a shared family masterpiece, making the experience both fun and rewarding.
Stone painting
Stone painting is a great way to get crafting. You might have a collection of stones at the ready or it could be that you need to go exploring for the perfect pebbles. Once you have that stones you need, you can get your children to draw their design first or they might want to paint directly onto their stones.
To add an extra level of fun, it’s worth exploring stone hunting groups in your area. Some communities have town-wide games in place where children paint their stones and leave them for others to find.
What crafty activities will you try with your little ones?
Read more: Craft posts
